Summer Months are Here!
Did you know the ROC Food Pantry is the largest food pantry in Josephine County and the only food pantry that does weekly home deliveries? Last month the ROC Food Pantry served 45,000 meals to nearly 5,000 individuals, including 1,579 children, and 132 new families. The ROC made 427 home deliveries to handicapped and elderly individuals, and others, needing this service…a significant increase from prior months. We have also seen a significant increase in the need for our food distribution since the reduction of SNAP benefits in February.
Katy is a single mother of two working two jobs and struggling to make ends meet. She drove through a recent food distribution and broke into tears of gratitude when receiving her groceries. Carl is a retired veteran on a fixed income, struggling with paying his bills and having enough left over to feed himself and his wife… the look of sincere gratitude and relief was palpable when his groceries were loaded into his vehicle. Kevin, a father of three children, recently picked up food for a few weeks until his employer was able to hire him back full time…he was always very grateful and expressed such. Janis is a full time RCC college student with several part time jobs who struggles with rent and all her financial obligations…many months there is nothing left to purchase food with.
I wish you could see and hear the gratitude and heartfelt emotion each of these individuals express when coming through our food distribution lines. We can only do this work because of the help that you provide, and we thank you!
The ROC Food Pantry is a different ministry than the other pantries in that we are NOT a homeless ministry…we ARE a help-people-stay-in-their-home ministry. What this means is that when many households are struggling financially and must make difficult choices including paying rent or mortgage, food insecurity will not be one of them. When a mother must decide between paying bills or buying food for her children, the ROC Food Pantry is here to help. When individuals on fixed incomes are getting pummeled by inflation, taxes, fees, permits, licenses, etc., the ROC Food Pantry provides quality food boxes every week to residents facing food insecurity. For those of you who are regular donors to the ROC, we just want to take the time to thank you. We witness the many instances of gratitude from hundreds of folks in our community right here in Grants Pass who may temporarily, or even permanently, rely on ministries like ours to help them through the month.
One of the unique things the ROC Food Pantry does is home deliveries to individuals needing this service. In May our volunteer drivers delivered 427 deliveries. This is a very needed service for these clients who are unable to come to the ROC food distributions. Many of these clients are disabled or facing health challenges. Amy is a caretaker for her disabled child and must stay home to caretake…the ROC home deliveries are crucial for her and her child. Debra is blind and lives by herself with no family support. The ROC brings her groceries every week, and along with those groceries, hope. Jim is living on social security benefits and is unable to leave his house on his own…the ROC home delivery he receives every week sustains him. All the people receiving home deliveries have their own individual stories…they are all immensely grateful for what we do. Thank you!
It’s garden time! The ROC Food Pantry is seeking volunteer gardeners who wish to grow vegetables and fruit and donate them to the ROC. If you have extra space in your garden, why not grow extras to donate? Last year the Gospel Rescue Mission Garden produced nearly 10,000 pounds of beautiful produce which was donated to the ROC. So many groups and individuals have put effort into this perfect specimen of a raised bed garden, and so many more are being nourished by their efforts. The Rogue Gardeners, along with GreenLeaf and other local growers, all donate significant amounts of vegetables and fruit to the ROC. If you would like to donate extra produce to the ROC, please contact us. If you are interested in the art and science of producing a top notch raised bed garden in your own yard, please feel free to come by and look at the 52 beds at the Gospel Rescue Mission. If you are interested in volunteering in the Gospel Rescue Mission Garden, please contact us.
Are you thinking about having a yard sale? The ROC Food Pantry hosts Backdoor Bargains, a yard sale across the street from the ROC. All profits go to buying food for the ROC Food Pantry. You can drop your saleable stuff off to Backdoor Bargains, avoid the hassle of a long weekend yard sale, get a tax-deductible receipt for the full value of your items, and help the ROC purchase food! If you would like to volunteer at the Backdoor Bargains yard sale, please contact us.
Have you ever wondered what we give in a bag of food? That bag is filled with hope and peace. Hope when a person was about ready to stop believing anyone cared about their struggles. Hope that maybe next month they won’t be struggling so bad because the food they just received will allow them to pay the power bill that’s been behind. Peace of mind knowing that their child won’t go to bed hungry and can just be a kid for another week. Peace of mind knowing that a homebound elderly parent has someone that will deliver a couple sacks of groceries to their door when they’re unable to get out and shop for themselves. Each food box consists of two bags of groceries: one with dry goods (beans, rice, peanut butter, pasta, canned soups and vegetables, etc.), and the other with produce (onions, potatoes, apples, oranges, celery, carrots, pears, mushrooms, etc.). Thanks to the low costs that we pay from the Josephine County Foodbank, help from community partners like the Gospel Rescue Mission, and the additional donations we receive from local food businesses, our cost to provide each food box is only $4.25 each! This means that for a $20 donation, you can ensure someone doesn’t have to worry about food for an entire month!
