Food Pantry Empty Shelves
 
Summer months challenge St. Martha's food pantry

 Increased need and fewer donations
make it difficult for families


Lazarus House Ministries, Inc.June/July Enews 2013
Food pantry struggles to meet need

Food pantry boy The start of summer means a time of transition, but for many families it also means the loss of essential resources that provide food. For the past few weeks, St. Martha's food pantry has seen a rise in the number of guests waiting in line for groceries and the number of bagged meals given out has also increased. Ken Campbell, Food Coordinator for Lazarus House, observed, "When a family situation becomes difficult many people will try to hold out as long as possible before turning to assistance programs. Having to make the decision to go to the food pantry [or soup kitchen] is not easy. When they finally do it, it's usually eight to ten weeks after they should have and then they are on the brink of crisis."

 

Food pantry guests

There is no doubt that providing food for families during the summer months can be challenging. Parents living in poverty are worried about the loss of essential services from the schools, such as free breakfast and lunch, and as the need for food rises in the community, pantries often find that donations become scarce. While some programs for children will start up again in a few weeks, even for that short time it can feel like an eternity for a parent who has to watch their child go hungry.

 

Recently, many food pantries in the Merrimack Valley have been forced to close their doors intermittently, and in at least one case, permanently, due to lack of food or funding. This often means that Lazarus House has to be prepared for unexpected increases in guests. Currently, our food collections are covered on a week to week basis with very little stored away for future distributions. Thankfully, local farms will soon be starting to donate fresh produce and that will help fill the void.

 

By the end of the day last week, the pantry distributed groceries to almost 800 families and Campbell expects that number to keep growing in the upcoming weeks. "It's really hard to plan the amount of food needed when the number of visitors increase with no obvious indication of why. I think it's going to be a long summer, but we are blessed to have whatever donations come into the pantry. There are incredibly generous people in our area who are aware and sensitive to the needs of others!" 

 

The goal at Lazarus House Ministries, Inc. is to provide food to anyone who is hungry and comes to our door. Difficulty making ends meet is happening to increasing numbers of people. Driven by hunger and unemployment, they are turning to food pantries for assistance in feeding their families. Hardest hit in this area are single mothers with young children and the elderly living on fixed incomes. Often they cannot afford to buy enough food so they eat smaller portions, skip meals or sometimes run out of food altogether. To coordinate a food drive in your area email Ken Campbell or call him at (978) 332-5013. If you would like to make a financial donation to sponsor a meal click here.

 

What's Happening

Red Sox Luxury Suite Raffle

Boston Red Sox vs. Chicago White Sox, Sunday, September 1, 2013 at 1:35 p.m. Ticket price $100. Win a chance to bring yourself and 17 of your friends to a luxury suite at Fenway Park. Includes $1,200 food & beverage allowance and limousine service. Tickets are available online. Only 750 tickets can be sold. The winner will be drawn on Thursday, August 15, 2013, 7:00 p.m. at Salvatore's, 34 Park Street, Andover.

 

Open House Tour

See our ministry up close on Tuesday, August 6, 2013 at 3 p.m. Meet at The Good Shepherd Center, 412 Hampshire Street, Lawrence, MA. Otherwise, call 978-689-8575 to schedule an appointment at your convenience.

 

Macy's Shop for a Cause

Saturday, August 24, 2013 at Macy's in Salem, NH. Macy's gave 100 shopping passes to Lazarus House to sell at $5 each; 100% of proceeds is donated to Lazarus House. The shopping pass includes 25% or 10% off regular, sale and clearance purchases all day. You can support Lazarus House while enjoying spectacular discounts, entertainment, special events and a chance to win a $500 shopping spree. Contact Event Manager by email or call Bridget Galvin at (978) 269-5206 to buy a $5 pass!

 

Local Author Donates to Lazarus House

Purchase the new book, Strangeville, by local author Kenneth Tingle's and 25% of all profits will go to help Lazarus House until August 31, 2013. The more books that are sold, the more resources for people in need. Buy a copy of the book at Amazon and enjoy a great story!

 

The Red Sox entered July 2013 as the only team in the American League with 50 wins! You won't want to miss the opportunity this winning season to purchase one or more raffle ticket to win a Private Luxury Suite for the Boston Red Sox vs. Theo Epstein's Chicago White Sox game on Sunday, September 1, 2013 at 1:35 p.m. 

 

Tickets cost $100 and only 750 can be sold. The winner of the raffle will receive a total of 18 Red Sox seats, $1,200 food and beverage allowance and limousine service. Imagine you and your friends watching the Red Sox win the game from a Luxury Suite!

 

The drawing is Thursday, August 15, 2013 at 7 p.m. at Salvatore's, 34 Park Street, Andover, MA. If you would like to purchase your Red Sox Raffle tickets online click here, email the Event Manager  or call 978.269.5206. All proceeds benefit the programs of Lazarus House Ministries.


Capital Campaign Girl

Campaign for Dignity crosses the $5 Million mark . . . but we are not quite finished.
"We are thrilled to have crossed the $5 Million mark! Thank you to everyone who has donated to our first-ever capital campaign. But, we are not quite finished. When we established our goal it seemed like $5 Million would satisfy the objectives. As we scrutinize more closely what it will take in dollars and cents to carry out these programs and buildings, we now know it will take several more hundred thousand dollars to complete our objectives. If you have not yet pledged, please be as generous as you can." For more information on the Campaign for Dignity please visit our  webpage.

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412 Hampshire Street, PO Box 408
Lawrence, MA 01842
978-689-8575
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