Hey Quest, this is Pastor Eugene. I hope that you are doing well.
I'm currently here in the White Center at a local food bank at the White Center Food Bank.
As you know, several months ago we hosted a Giving Sunday campaign at our church.
Every year we raise funds for some specific purposes and this year we raised $50,000.
25 half of it went towards a benevolence fund within our church
to assist those who are going through some dire financial stress.
The other half was distributed two ways to two local food banks in the city of Seattle.
One was to Ballard and the other was to this particular food bank at White Center Food Bank.
This was recommended by someone at our church who I think had volunteered here and wanted our church to support.
It's been a really educational thing and a treat for me to be here.
We spent some time with the executive director Rick Jump as well as the president of the board to see how they are serving their community as well.
In the past year, their clientele of people they're serving has increased from 1,000 families a month to 2,000 families a month.
In light of the financial recession and downturn that we're going through, that will likely increase as well.
They service 6,000 people and over 70,000 people per year.
I know that many of us are going through some financial distress and difficulties because of the economic downturn
but I also want to thank you for your faith, for your vision to be a light and salt to the larger city and beyond
and I want to encourage you to continue to be mindful of others around you, your neighbors, your neighborhood, your local food bank
that might be in some dire need.
One of the comments that the executive director shared with me that really resonated with me was the phrase the changing face of hunger
and he shared with me that in the past few months, in this past year, his clientele here in this very diverse area of Seattle called White Center
probably the most diverse part of our state of Washington has also been changing people that have never needed food or assistance are now coming in
and this is an opportunity for neighbors and for the church, for quests, for you, for I, to be a source of encouragement.
I want to encourage you to be mindful about these things, to volunteer at quests at the local, to the streets ministry
and three things that you can do perhaps here at White Center or somewhere else is to donate money, donate food
the third thing that they really do need is to also donate your volunteer time as well.
This whole food bank is run by two people on staff and 100 volunteers
and so they're constantly in need of volunteers as well.
Again, I want to thank you for your partnership with Quest and being a source of encouragement to others. God bless you.
