By Lindsey Schibelhut, Staff Reporter.
The first time I was ever aware of the hunger issues going on was when I covered the Delta College Hunger in Michigan event. The panel of people brought to light food insecurity problems people are facing everyday.
Little did I know that this very issue would happen right at my own home.
This summer I visited a food pantry for the first time. My father’s hours at work were cut. This created a difficult choice between grocery shopping and paying bills. We decided to focus on paying bills and getting out of debt. It’s not an easy thing to hear your parents argue about the need to buy food when they aren’t financially able to do so on a regular basis.
I did the only thing I could think of. I asked my friend about food pantries. She mentioned the Old Town Christian Outreach Center in Saginaw, and we decided to visit.
First, let me be clear, it wasn’t easy going to the pantry for the first time. When my friend and I arrived all I could see was the line of people. It really hit me hard, seeing these people waiting for help. It reminded me of the old photographs of bread lines during the Great Depression.
I started to question myself. “What am I doing here? Do I really need assistance as much as the people already in line?”
I cried. All I remember saying was “Oh my gosh, look at all the people.”
My friend and I made the decision to come back a couple more times before the end of the summer. Many of the same people were there. Watching them interact with each other made me feel like I was in a family of sorts.
Standing in line, I got the chance to talk with people and learn what brought them there. One man mentioned he was trying to get his music career going, so he was there because he was trying to lift himself up. He was just hoping his mother would be proud of him one day, but she had passed away before she could see him accomplish his musical aspirations. On another day, a man complimented me on a Bob Marley shirt I was wearing. We started conversing about Marley and his songs, we then talked personally about his own Rastafari religion and how his father was from Jamaica, and how beautiful of a country it is.
Though I went to the food pantry for my household, I also did it for the learning experience; so I could put myself in someone else’s shoes. The people waiting in line are the “unseen” for the most part. We don’t see this on the news, and for most people who don’t ever have to wait in a food line, they will never see it up close and personal.
If you find yourself in that unfortunate circumstance, do it for the opportunity to grow as a person, it’s an eye-opening and humbling one. If you have the ability to donate to a food pantry, do it. There are literally thousands of people in your area who need food, clothing and help.
Bringing home groceries to help my family’s situation felt good. We were able to eat home more, and by doing so, it helped us to save some money. The money saved has been allocated to renew our much needed savings.
What I like most about this food pantry is that they don’t ask you intrusive questions either. They respect your privacy with no personal information asked, just come as you are.
Old Town runs their food pantry and clothes distribution every Saturday starting at 11:30 a.m. but you do have to wait in line to get a ticket. Tickets aren’t distributed until 8 a.m. but you can line up as early as desired. When you receive your ticket you can either stay until 11:30 a.m. or leave and come back. A few minutes before it’s time to get food, a pastor reads a mini-sermon to the people in line, then gives a short prayer. There is always another pastor walking up to each person waiting, and he shakes their hand and asks if they have any prayer requests.
Old Town also runs the soup kitchen Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 11:30 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. For more information, Old Town Christian Outreach Center is located at 600 Gratiot Avenue, Saginaw, MI 48602, phone: 989 249-8696 and Delta College also has their own student food pantry for those in need, located on the West Courtyard Level, phone: 989-686-9474.
