What is on my mind today is the same thing that was on my mind yesterday -- food acquisition and distribution.
The Front Porch Ministries (TFPM) was started as a food distribution service for residents of Mount Rainier and has grown a following and favor across the County and the State of Maryland.
In some ways, that is great and is definitely way beyond my wildest dreams, but The Front Porch Ministries' notoriety has become troublesome in some ways.
What was intended for Mount Rainier residents is serving a much broader population, and, in fact, some Mount Rainier residents are missing out.
We at The Front Porch Ministries usually do not ask where participants come from, but there were so many new, unfamiliar faces yesterday we asked.
Participants came from the District of Columbia, Hyattsville, Cottage City, Colmar Manor, Brentwood, North Brentwood, Riverdale, New Carrollton, and Bladensburg, to name a few of the newcomers.
And, yes, the food ran much quicker, and many Mount Rainier residents, who are used to coming after work or late, came, and the food was gone. In addition, the newcomers s were uncomfortable after being told that The Front Porch Ministries' food distribution was primarily for Mount Rainier residents.
No one was turned away, but it made me start thinking again, how do I ensure that Mount Rainier residents reap the benefits of my labors. NOTE: The District of Columbia has more programs than Prince George's County and the State of Maryland, and Hyattsville has at least three (3) churches that give out food weekly.
No one took more than their needs, but TFPM did not have an overabundance to accommodate the increased number of participants.
Needless to say, this has kept me up most of the night, and I still do not have a solution.
People need food, food prices are steadily creeping up as we are told how strong the economic market is, and our neighbors are going to bed with no food to put on their tables.
As many of the volunteers can attest, I frequently threaten to close The Front Porch Ministries because there are so many other food sources out there. Then we have a yesterday where we run out of food, and people leave empty-handed, or we get a call from a neighbor who is desperate for food, and we are able to provide enough food to feed them for a week, even on off days.
Many of us in Mount Rainier are doing well financially, but some of us are one paycheck away from losing our homes, let alone being able to buy food, and there just aren't enough resources out there to go around.
Getting off my soapbox, but still thinking about how to make sure Mount Rainier residents have food on their tables. No, our children should not go to bed hungry -- not in Mount Rainier. So, The Front Porch Ministries will remain open as long as we can get food donations and can give our food away for FREE!
ON A DIFFERENT NOTE:
Thank you to all of the residents who have been keeping The Front Porch Ministries supplied with bags.
Thank you, Chris Lowe, for continuously coming by at night to check on The Front Porch Ministries and to put out the boxes and other residuals from The Front Porch Ministries.
Thank you to all of the volunteers who show up rain, sleet, snow, and hot weather, and all to make the food distribution possible.
Thank you to the donors that are still making it possible for The Front Porch Ministries to remain open and provide food to Mount Rainier residents.
Thank you, thank you to all of the participants for showing up and picking up the food.
Because of all of you, The Front Porch Ministries continues to be a valuable resource to the residents of Mount Rainier and other communities.
