By Crumbs & Nuggets | October 22, 2011 at 02:46 PM EDT |
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Hi Pantry Friends
Last month several new articles were published in the Dallas Morning News announcing the huge increases in poverty in the United States in general and in Collin, Dallas and Denton Counties in particular. Did you know there are over 100,000 people in Collin County who are food insecure, or are not assured of being able to attain adequate nutrition without resorting to non-acceptable means such as theft or scavengering? And the experience of the Seven Loaves Pantry is that half of those are children. That is 14% of the population of Collin County!
Since opening in May of 2009, Seven Loaves has provided over a weeks worth of nutritious food to over 35,000 people - HALF OF WHICH ARE CHILDREN! Over 16,000 lunches were provided last summer through Seven Loaves Summer Lunch Program. Over 560 backpacks, 550 pairs of new shoes and 1000 pairs of jeans helped get kids back to school on the right foot. Through the collaboration with the West Side Clinic, over 500 months of medicine was provided - a life was saved the first week the clinic was opened and many have been saved since that day last October. This couldnot be done without the passionate and faithful support of Seven Loaves through financial donations and thousands of volunteer hours! THANK YOU!
The longer the financial crisis lasts, the more critical the circumstances become. This week alone Seven Loaves was contacted by three families in crisis who are in the cusp of being homeless. All of them have children. As we enter into the winter and holiday months, the needs of the families will increase, and the approaching cold weather will exacerbate the already critical problem. If you have ANY ways to help families stay in shelter or may be able to stay in their rental homes or apartments, please contacts us and let us know. We need your help! These families need your help! Samaritan Inn is full and turns away on average 6 families a week.
This is a growing COMMUNITY problem and requires a COMMUNITY solution. TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
Grace & peace - Rev. Janet, Exec Director, Seven Loaves
