Jackson House seeks support through holidays

Jackson House officials say they continue to gain cases each month even as they struggle to “fill holes” in the pantry and continue to provide grocery and food assistance to the homeless and “working poor” families of the area.

“We completely empty and refill the pantry twice a month.

That’s why we go through so much more than people realize.

… We’re constantly trying to fill holes (in our pantry) where we are missing items,” Executive Director Janie Smith said.

Jackson House had organized a fundraiser set for Friday in conjunction with the Maxwell Blade Theater of Magic, but recently realized the date conflicted with a memorial reception for the late Bud Kenny, Smith said, noting they decided to reschedule the event.

“It was going to be a lot of fun and we were real excited. But we realized that with the passing of (one of) our local dignitaries and representatives of who we are in Hot Springs, that a lot of people really wanted to go to that memorial. … We felt like out of respect for (Kenny) and what he meant to the community … it was better to pull back,” Smith said.

She said the event will be held at a later date and they also plan to have a different fundraiser

in conjunction with the Morris Foundation the Saturday before Thanksgiving. Still, that leaves the Jackson House in a difficult spot, she said.

“I think (people) think that because we’ve been here so long, that we’re OK, but that’s not the case. We have seen a continual increase (in cases). We gain about 100 new cases every single month,” she said.

Currently, Smith said Jackson House has 12,000 case files that consist of both individuals and families as large as 10 people. She estimates they give out over 1 million pounds of food each year through their grocery program and even more through their daily lunch program.

“We try to limit it to maybe twice a year (per family or individual) but that’s taking a lot of things into consideration. … It’s a fail safe. A crisis service is not supposed to be 100% when you’re in crisis; nobody can withstand that.” However, “we do work with other pantries and other agencies,” Smith said.

With the holiday season quickly approaching, Smith said the needs of the community will only increase. Right now, they are specifically seeking both perishable and nonperishable food donations and monetary donations they may use to purchase more food.

“We have a need at this time. With the holidays coming, that means children are out of school and will not be fed two meals a day per child (by their school). We expect a heavy request period of time starting about right now through the end of the year,” Smith said.

“We are currently running short on several things. Obviously, the basics that we need, that people are most accustomed to hearing, are peanut butter and jelly, cereal, soups, something like ravioli, pasta, pasta sauce, rice, and beans. We try to give heavy meat products to families with growing children or expecting mothers,” she said.

Smith said both food and monetary donations can be brought directly to Jackson House, 705 Malvern Ave., or call 623-4048.