TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Give us this day, our daily bread. It's a phrase Karen French lives by as both a Christian, and a food pantry volunteer.
Once a month, Karen, her two sons, and several other volunteers gather at the Lake Jackson United Methodist Church to organize food the church receives from America's Second Harvest of the Big Bend. They distribute that food the next day.
"We bag groceries and then we set up tables where they can go, like, grocery shopping," says French, "and we give out meats also."
According to pantry coordinator Kim Clayton, they feed about 125 families per month, which accounts for about 485 people.
"People think about families that need food as being the poor families and that really is not the case," explains Clayton. "It's that middle income, middle to lower incoming working families who just can't make ends meet. Their paychecks just aren't going as far as they used to, they find they have a gap. So we are able to fill that gap."
The church recently learned they will be getting turkeys for the holidays.
"We just were contacted and asked if we would want to receive, or be the benefactor, of turkeys from the annual Turkey Drive," said Clayton, "so we're very excited to be able to give out turkeys to our families."
A life saver for Karen, who, besides being a volunteer, is also a food recipient.
"Well, I live paycheck by paycheck, week by week," says French, "and when you have children at home, you know, you have to do what you have to do, and it just helps (us) get through."
And during a time of year for being thankful, both Karen and Kim say the need for giving is greater than ever, and most people can either give their time or their money.
"Until you start volunteering and giving back, you don't know how it affects your own life," states Clayton, "and to be able to take part of what you have been blessed with and give it to someone who isn't blessed, to see how it affects them, makes you want to spend any extra penny you have."
(video coming soon. Check back with www.wtxl.tv)
This holiday season, WTXL is once again teaming up with Second Harvest for the 2nd annual Turkey Drive. The drive is Thursday, November 19, 2015 at Ponce de Leon Park.
