Last Updated on August 25, 2022 by Cass County Community Foundation
On Wednesday, August 24, Cass County Community Foundation President & CEO Deanna Crispen announced that the Foundation would provide $20,000 in an emergency grant to the local Emmaus Food pantry to aid the local organization in their continuing work providing food to those most in need.
“Emmaus Food Pantry provides so much support to our most vulnerable citizens,” Crispen stated. “In a casual conversation earlier this month with Emmaus Director, Jason Mitchell, he shared the dramatic rise in the number of families being served and the unmet needs. We felt we had the capacity to help and the CCCF Board of Directors unanimously approved the $20,000 emergency grant to provide access to more food through Food Finders Food Bank, Lafayette.”
Mitchell shared, “Since the opening of Emmaus’ new food pantry in January 2020, our country has pushed forward through the ravages of a pandemic and is now facing the unsurety of a future marked by higher prices for basic needs. These stressors, coupled with a rise in the number of new families entering our community, has caused a marked increase in the utilization of our pantry as people struggle to provide for their day-to-day necessities.”
“We currently distribute over 1,600 boxes of food per month to our local friends and neighbors in need and our services have doubled in less than two years, he said.” “Over the last two months we have noticed a major increase in the number of people seeking our assistance. This influx is a combination of people who, for the first time, are reaching out for community support and individuals and families who have not used our pantry for many years but are now finding it difficult to survive without asking for help once more.”
Mitchell stated that along with donations from local stores and supermarkets, he purchases additional food from Food Finders Food Bank in Lafayette every month, but food reserves everywhere are continuing to run low. He said, “The help that we receive from our community to help others is truly appreciated, allows us to continue our important work, and is a sign of the love we have for each other.”
Crispen shared that the Board of Directors at CCCF is very hopeful that other organizations who can respond with funding will do so quickly and help bring much-needed funding to feed our community. “ This time of year is always hard on our food pantries and we hope this grant will provide the stimulus for others to give”, said Crispen.
For more information, please call the Cass County Community Foundation at 574-722-2200.
SOURCE: News release from Cass County Community Foundation