Hunger
For advice on where to begin, call Gail Harris (546-3500) at the Community
Action Committee. She can answer most questions you have about hunger and
hunger resources in our community.
Most food pantries have common needs: volunteers to pick up, sort,
prepare, serve and deliver the food. Contact any of these organizations
and ask how you could join the team.
Second Harvest Food Bank: 521-0000.
FISH: 523-7900.
Hospitality Pantries (four locations): 588-0589 ext. 231.
Mobile Meals (CAC office of Aging): 524-2786
Volunteer Ministry Center: 524-3926
Salvation Army: 525-9401
The Love Kitchen: 546-3248
Knoxville Area Rescue Ministries (KARM): 673-6545
Angelic Center Warehouse: 523-8884.
Fresh Idea - Support people who want to learn to grow their
own food.
Emergency Food Helpers: Gail Harris, 546-3500.
Help Plant a Row for the Hungry for Second Harvest Food Bank: Cheyenne
Rifey, 521-0000.
Easy and Fun - Provide snacks and prayer for Families First
clients at Fresh Start classes. Marty McGuinness, 690-6316.
Business Owners - If you work in the food business, would
you donate food to help feed people at the food pantries? If so, call one
listed above.
Poverty
Poverty is complex and touches many aspects of life in our community. Many
of the volunteer opportunities are listed elsewhere in this guidebook.
Only a few representative examples are listed below.
Give the Gift of an Education
Families First GED Classes: Lynn Moore, 544-5200. Volunteer to help
someone obtain their GED.
Adult Basic Education Program for Adult Literacy: Emma Elkins, 594-3620.
Help give the gift of literacy.
Empower Others Through Serving
Volunteers are needed to sort clothes at:
Angelic Center: Betsy Frazier, 523-8884
Baptist Center at Montgomery Village: Carol Webb, 577-6244
North Knox County Community Chest: 281-0011
Ladies of Charity: Marian Bugg, 522-6341
Salvation Army:
Operation Bootstraps, 525-9401
Churches/families could commit to serving meals.
Give birthday parties quarterly.
Musicians for church services.
Knoxville Leadership Foundation:
Linda Williams, 524-2774
Volunteer for minor home repairs.
Support their efforts to build affordable housing.
The Love Kitchen:
Helen Ashe/Ellen Turner, 546-3248
Need donations to help the low-income with utilities and rent.
Great need for baby supplies and baby food.
Knoxville Area Rescue Ministries:
Christy Howard, 673-6545
New Life Inn: Ongoing donations needed for clothing/furniture/household
items, towels, personal hygiene products, and toys.
Serenity Shelter: provide meals, childcare, hair cuts, manicures, and
crafts.
Mens Mission: serve meals, hair care, tutoring, mentoring.
Interfaith Health Clinic:
546-7330
Volunteers are needed to help with clerical tasks. Those with medical,
dental and social service experience are needed to donate their time and
expertise.
Join a Car Care Network:
Good working vehicles are extremely important to the working poor. Anyone
can donate vehicles and mechanics can donate expertise. A network of
Christians providing free or reduced-cost maintenance, minor repairs and
guidance in purchasing vehicles is developing.
To get connected call Allen Haynes, Bridgewater Church, 690-8012 or John
Winters, Fellowship Church, 470-9800.
You can see it in their
eyes. You can hear it in their words. You can sense it from their
body language. When you hear their stories you know it must be
present. Once you know its there you can understand some of the
behavior patterns and problems. When its understood acceptance of
the person with the poor behavior is possible.
Its the single ingredient, which determines the effectiveness of
the services and interventions offered. With it the best of services
will fail. Without it little can stop a person from succeeding. It
colors every detail of the care of the poor.
Of what am I speaking? Hopelessness.
It is to this issue that Gods love and power speak directly. A
relationship with Jesus breaks down the hopelessness of the poor by
giving meaning, purpose and power to their actions. A relationship
with Jesus breaks down hopelessness because the aloneness of poverty
is no longer true for the God of the universe is friend and his
church is family.
Hope replaces hopelessness and the impossible becomes possible
when the love and power of God are realized through relationship
with Him.
Monroe Free, Executive Director, Knox Area Rescue
Mission |
|
