Julia Gingrich (Mennonite Volunteer Service Client Counselor)
When Susan came to us, she released the stress of her situation through tears. Several weeks after her husband quit his job and left her and their three children, she was laid off from her work at a local factory. Like many others in her situation, Susan was facing difficulties in receiving her unemployment benefits. She came to us carrying an eviction notice and legal papers advising her to be present at an upcoming court hearing. The situation was desperate, but Susan was persistent in seeking out support from a wide circle of friends and strangers. She was facing eviction for her inability to pay lot rent, but she was also in the process of purchasing the family’s mobile home.
She shared her story with the person from whom she was buying the modular homer, and they told her that she didn’t have to make payments on it until she had passed through this difficult time. Because her young adult son was working enough to make car payments, Susan had transportation to come to CCS and share her story with us. Unfortunately, the support that we provided, along with the support from another local church and the Township Trustee, still left Susan short of the amount she needed to prevent eviction.
I was pondering the gravity of Susan’s situation on my way to work one afternoon. As I approached the office, I ran into Susan and her son in the parking lot. She reported that a friend of hers, who recently received her tax returns, was lending her the remaining money she needed to terminate the eviction proceedings. She also shared that she received confirmation from her employer that she was returning to work the following week.
The stability of Susan’s situation remains fragile; there are no guarantees that “all will be well” for her and her children. Walking with Susan through the frightening terrain of unemployment has helped me to cultivate a greater capacity to live with hope while remaining grounded in hard realities of these difficult days. It has also reinforced my conviction that hope is found in the compassionate, creative actions individuals, congregations, and neighborhoods are taking to support those most impacted by the current economic realities.
March 16, 2009
This story aired at the end of last week. It does an excellent job of illustrating the types of people who are coming to us in crisis. Hard-working, good people who are doing their best to make it in these tough economic times here in Elkhart county. CCS has helped over 16,000 people so far in 2008. Each month we are seeing a lot of new people coming in for assistance of some sort. In October alone, there were 380 new people that came in that had never been here before.
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4580878n
November 10, 2008
We have been in the news a lot lately due to the huge amount of people coming here for assistance. In case you missed the channel 22 news, here is their report. Click on the link at the bottom if you would like to view the story.
The economy is putting a crimp in the finances for local families. It’s also causing a strain on local social service agencies. One agency in Elkhart is looking to expand to keep up with those who need help.
Church Community Services (CCS) in Elkhart is running out of room to meet the growing demand for its services. Its current office off Third Street needs more space.
“Compared to a year ago in September, we saw 500 families more this year than last year,” said CCS director Dean Preheim-Bartel.
“We’re having an average of about 140 families a day that are coming in to use the food pantry and that’s within a six hour period,” added social services director Vonda Horst.
“There are a lot of families in need and they’ve been coming here to get help,” said food pantry client Tracey McWilliams.
But help could be on the way.
The agency is working to renovate an old office building and warehouse on Oakland Avenue.
Relocating the agency there would more than triple the space at its current office and help streamline and improve one of its most important programs — the food pantry.
“The food pantry, it only allows about four people to shop at a time because it’s so small and cramped and now we can almost double the number of people who can be served at one time,” explained Preheim-Bartel.
Plus it will provide more needed storage space.
“It’s a huge issue, and right now we have very little space to store food,” Preheim-Bartel said.
The new building would also house the agency’s Soup of Success project and its financial assistance office. It’s working to raise $1 million. Right now, the agency has reached 35 percent of the goal.
WSBT – Local News – Video – Agency looks to expand to meet growing Elkhart need
November 3, 2008
No, we aren’t talking about McDonalds, we are talking about the number of people that have come through our doors for assistance so far this year. The actual number as of today is 10, 022 to be exact. That number represents individuals (most of which have additional family members at home) that have come in for help in making ends meet. Some came for food, others for financial assistance with prescriptions, utilities or rent.
Over 150 people each month are first time visitors. These are people that have been working. People that have never used a pantry before. People that never thought they would have to ask for help.
We were a little shocked by this number so early in the year, so we looked at our stats for 2007. Food Pantry usage alone is up 13% over this time last year. All of our financial assistance combined is up 11%. With all of the layoffs occurring right now, we fear that this scary trend is sure to continue rising during the final five months of 2008.
We are fortunate to be able to provide assistance to this many people in Elkhart County. Assistance that would not be possible without you. Thank you for helping us reach out and help others in our community. Your food and financial support is more critical now than ever, so that we can keep food on our pantry shelves.
July 29, 2008
