By LOIS KINDLE
Many organizations seek volunteers over the holidays to pitch in time to aid in charitable efforts. It’s a time when those with much can help others with less.
In addition to 51 regular weekly food distributions throughout the year, the Calvary Lutheran Church Community Cupboard hosts Thanks for Giving the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. This special distribution has taken place annually since 2005.
“Being fed is a fundamental need we all have, and it hurts me there are so many people who go hungry in this world,” said Julie Garland, Calvary Cupboard operations manager. “It’s important to me to help wherever we can.
“We serve any family living in Ruskin and its surrounding communities,” she continued. “There’s no judgment, no sign-up. We try to share God’s love with everyone who comes through the line.”
This year’s Thanks for Giving outreach is Nov. 22, and volunteers are desperately needed to handle the number of families expected to turn out.
A steady line of cars queue up at 1250 E College Ave, Ruskin, during one of Community Cupboard’s previous Thanks for Giving events, where drivers await free Thanksgiving meal bags for four, which include produce and a turkey, ham or other meat.
Rather than the 500 to 550 families who normally receive staples, bread and a bag of produce and meat, 800 to 1,000 are expected next week to get a Thanksgiving meal for four, including a turkey, ham or other meat.
Between 26 and 32 homeless people generally show up for bags filled especially to meet their needs.
“Considering the number of people coming to us each week, especially during Thanks for Giving, the food we provide is meant to supplement an immediate need, not comprise an entire meal,” said Paula Sabo, who oversees both the Community Cupboard and Angel Attic, which funds it. “If we had the resources to purchase more food and additional volunteers, we’d certainly give more. We’re about maxed out with what we can handle distribution-wise because we don’t have enough steady volunteers.”
Garland said there are currently 20 people who volunteer every week, but 15 more are needed to run the entire operation “comfortably.”
Calvary Lutheran’s Community Cupboard has served hundreds of thousands of people since its inception in 1982, when folks in need would walk up and down U.S. 41 looking for food. At that time, the “cupboard” was a moving barrel in the church’s former Apollo Beach location.
Between 800 and 1,000 families will receive Thanks for Giving bags, like the ones shown here, which are ready for Community Cupboard volunteers to fill.
This year alone, Community Cupboard will serve close to 30,000 people.
You don’t need to be a church member or have any special skills to help at Thanks for Giving; you only need a willing heart and pair of hands. Some volunteers sort and package food bags, some work the produce and meat tables, while others hand out bags or place them in trunks as drivers wheel through the distribution point. Other volunteers direct traffic and keep the line moving.
You can simply volunteer for this one effort or, if you feel especially fulfilled, start coming each week. Any time anyone donates is greatly appreciated.
If you can help out next Tuesday during Thanks for Giving, simply show up at 1250 E. College Ave, Ruskin, between 6:30 and 7 a.m. Should you have questions beforehand, call Tesa Myatt, Calvary’s office manager, at 813-645-1305.
