By Gary Ogle
gogle@wbcowqel.com
Ted Thomas and New Day Ministries saw a need, like Christ, to feed the hungry. Although The Outreach Center on North Sandusky Avenue that resulted from that vision has found several helping hands from individuals as well as corporations, they are also discovering the need is becoming greater than its resources.
“We can sure use help, Thomas admitted.
The Outreach Center has an ambitious schedule of handing out food from its pantry every other Saturday, Fridays on the other weeks, as well as several Tuesdays. They also provide fresh produce once a month for four months out of the year.
They get help from several sources – area farms, companies like ConAgra, Wyandot, Wal-Mart, Clady’s, Hords, and unexpected contributors like the Eagles in Galion, the Elks, Budweiser and even the local Bureau of Motor Vehicles office in addition to untold individuals. Job and Family Services also helps in ways that agency is able.
Thomas grudgingly concedes that in spite of the generosity there are days the food, the supplies and the money just runs out before the people needing it do.
“What do you do when a family with kids comes by at the end of the day and you have to tell them you don’t have anything to give them,” Thomas asked sadly. With his voice nearly breaking, he said in response to his own rhetorical question, “It just breaks my heart.”
The Outreach Center is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. five days a week. It is completely staffed by volunteers who not only hand out food, but sell used clothes and other items. That, says Thomas, helps pay the utilities at the former Strubles Drug Store building.
“The pantry we feed out of every week,” Thomas said. “Last year we distributed 400,000 pounds of food. We fed about 36,000 thousand people.”
Thomas said on the Saturdays The Outreach Center distributes from its pantry people begin lining up sometimes as early as 5 a.m. just to be the first in line when the food is passed out beginning at 9.
They don’t just come from Bucyrus, but all of Crawford County and beyond – from Richland and Morrow County, Marion, Wyandot and even Seneca County too.
“It’s a joint effort on a lot of people’s part,” Thomas said of the program that sometimes feeds more than 2,000 people in a month’s time. “Eighty percent of the people we feed are 60 and above. And the people that come in here are – I hate to say this – are less fortunate in life. They live from month to month. We get a mix of people coming into the store to get clothing, but we also get a lot of people here who are on the street who are homeless. These are the people we reach out to. People that have good jobs are blessed.””
Thomas said the story he hears from the elderly is often the same – there are many weeks and months they have to choose to buy either food or medicine and at least at The Outreach Center they can get some food.
“We service a lot of people who don’t have anything,” Thomas said. “We give a lot of stuff away.”
Financially, The Outreach Center has an ally in the Second Harvest organization and is currently operating on a grant it provided. But the funds from that grant are all but used up.
“Then we’ll have to foot the bill until we get another,” Thomas said.
Thomas said The Outreach Center will gladly accept donations of any kind and any amount – money, food, clothing and other household items, and even time to help organize and hand out food.
“Everything goes back into the community,” Thomas said.
Thomas said it’s not a question of whether or not the people who come are needy. It is a question of how and even sometimes if The Outreach Center can help.
He tells the story of an older gentleman, a grandfather who came one day with his granddaughter. It was obvious, Thomas said, that it was a case of the grandparents who were already strapped to make ends meet taking in their grandchildren.
Thomas’ speech slowed and stammered as he recalled the little girl he described as “just cute as could be.”
“I asked her if she would like a bottle of pop. She looked at her grandpa and he nodded yes. She took that bottle and just cradled it against her chest,” Thomas said. “I had to step away because I just couldn’t stop the tears.”
Those who like to know more about The Outreach Center or would like to donate may call 419-563-0735 or 419-617-7423.