SERVING
is OK and this is something to help,” she added. “And it’s amazing the reaction we get from the recipients.”
The food ministry helps the food bank in two ways, says Michelle Merkley, the bank’s director of operations.
It’s conveniently located for people on the city’s west side who, for lack of transportation, have trouble going to the food bank’s location on East 24th Street. And it serves people who need food on a day the food bank is closed.
“Having that food (ministry) open on Saturdays is a great thing,” Merkley said.
The ministry complements what St. Paul’s has already been doing to help the food bank help the hungry.
The first Sunday of every month, it collects food from its members to give to the bank, and two years ago, members took part in a 2-1/2 mile benefit walk in Yuma for the food bank. The walk brought in 500 pounds of food, and it collected another 625 pounds the second time the walk was done.
After the second walk, St. Paul’s Father Cherian Pilo Pulimootil asked Merkley if there was anything else the church could do. Merkley suggested a weekend food distribution site, and Pulimootil and church members embraced the idea.
The church set aside a room on its premises and gathered together the appliances and computer needed to operate the ministry, says Adams. “I had to go through a class to make sure I knew how to take care of the food.”
The ministry hands out one box a month to individuals and to families with three or fewer members, two boxes monthly to families with four to six members, and three to families with seven or more members.
While the ministry is helping the food bank serve people on Yuma’s west side, a study is underway to look into the feasibility of the bank opening a satellite in San Luis, Arizona, to help south county residents.