January 12th, 2010
We get the opportunity to benefit a local food pantry at this next “Epic Night of Worship” on February 26th, 2010. I thought it would be nice to have a little information on this local ministry, so I asked director Paul Janowski a few questions :
Me: Paul we will be collecting 2 cans of food as admission for the worship concert…is there anything else you guys could use?
Paul: Canned food would be great to collect. Baby clothes, diapers and babyfood would come in very handy as well.
Me: How did you get involved with the El Rio Food Pantry?
Paul: I was part of a small group of regular folks at the Ventura Vineyard who began praying about what we could do to help the community of El Rio. In the summer of 2007 we decided that we could best help by starting a tutoring center to help the kids do better in school and a food pantry to see to it that they had something nutritious to eat. We studied other local pantries and began distributing food January 20, 2008. Our first week we struggled to serve 35 families. This past week (January 9, 2010) we served 193 families…what a change God has brought about in the community of El Rio and in those of us who help serve these people every week.
Me: How is this ministry making an impact locally?
Paul: El Rio Food Pantry is making an impact in the lives of the people of El Rio by bringing a decent quantity (approx. 40 lbs per family per week) of healthy food for each family. We strive to get the best produce, canned food, rice, beans and other staples, so each family can count on several meals each week. For our client families that means they can have a little extra money to spend on school, medicine, and other necessities that they are often forced to do without. In lives where the daily choices often come down to either buying food or buying medical care or school supplies something always has to give, and it’s good to know we can help with providing something healthy to eat.
Me: How can people help?
Paul: It’s easy to help. We operate the food pantry every Saturday from 8am until 11 am, and our volunteers have a great time helping this community. People can volunteer to help with the food pantry, or help with the tutoring center, by donating food and clothing, or making cash donations to help us continue to be able to provide this much needed service to the community.
For more information on ways you can help, check out Mercy Ministries website:
http://www.mercyministriesinternational.com
We are always looking for volunteers, worship bands, organizations, and ministries to bring together. I look forward to hearing from you.