KCC Disciple Women Service Project - First Fruits

A few weeks ago at a Disciple Women meeting, some KCC ladies were discussing an article in the local paper about HAAM having bare shelves in their food pantry. Our church is always good at helping several times a year when HAAM needs specific things (like a thousand bags of mini marshmallows!) but we wondered if we could lead a church-wide effort to help restock the shelves at HAAM every month?

We tossed around some ideas -- when should we do it so our members will get in the holy habit of adding a little to their shopping carts each week for those who are hungry? We decided we might as well be biblical about it and decided to call it First Fruits. Every first Sunday of the month, we will collect non-perishable food items for HAAM's food pantry. Donations can be left in the church foyer in the designated baskets. For those church members on Facebook, we will have a First Fruits group with reminders and hot tips (like "HEB has peanut butter for $1!") and tips on how to stretch your food budget.

One idea that came up was using coupons to help with these monthly items for HAAM. As we all know, some of us are coupon kings and queens and some of us aren't! Coupons are a great way to save (especially when many stores double or triple coupon values - and often times these items are already on sale!) Using the coupons to shop is also a great way to get the kids involved. They can help hunt for the specific items on the coupon and then you can have a mini-math lesson, figuring how much the final cost will be - it can be a whole family event!

So tuck this into your memory - First Fruits on the First Sunday of each month - as we join together to meet a critical need in our community.

Wishlist for HAAM Food Pantry Items Most Needed

The following is a list of food items most needed by HAAM Food Pantry:

· Canned tuna or chicken, packed in water
· Canned stews and pasta/meat, easy on salt and fat
· Peanut butter
· Canned fruits in light syrup, natural applesauce
· 100% juice cans or boxes
· Canned vegetables, tomatoes, tomato sauce
· Soups with meat and/or beans, meal-in-a-can, easy on salt and fat
· Cereals and cereal bars, easy on sugar and fat
· Pasta, spaghetti, macaroni, noodles, rice
· Packages of dry beans
· Toiletries
· Baby food
· Diapers & wipes
· Sanitary napkins

For the safety of those we serve, the HAAM Food Pantry is unable to accept:
· Open packages
· Homemade food items
· Perishable foods
· Items with “expired” dates

What is 1000? The number of new seniors HAAM served last year.

What is 1 in 2? The number of working poor who can not meet their family food needs.

What is 1 in 3? The number of children who now live in poverty in our area.

What is 1 in 4? The number of new clients who have never been to HAAM.

What is 3,800? The average number of people HAAM feeds each month.

What is $1 of every $2? The number of donated food dollars HAAM needs to feed these individuals.

HAAM started as a Food Pantry and has been feeding those in crisis ever since.  In times like these, people are having to make hard choices:  pay rent or feed their children, pay medical bills or buy food, pay car repairs to stay employed or ....  you get the picture.

Unfortunately the sources of donated food are drying up.  Food drives are down and the Houston Food Bank which was once our largest sources of low cost food is no longer a viable option.  With shelves bare, HAAM is forced to make tough decisions.  The one thing we want to avoid is not feeding the children and the seniors in our community, our most vulnerable groups.

Together, we can help.