Donation protected
WE NEED TO TRY AND RAISE 3000.00 BY MIDNIGHT.
At the end of July, Benkelman lost our grocery store. We opened a temporary store in the newspaper as a stop gap until the store could get reopened.
There have been some side issues that have arisen over the last several months. The food pantry has struggled. Food stamps and Wic have not been available in Benkelman for 5 months now.
I did not realize until we ran the temporary store what an impact this would have on families within the community. Many that are in need are not able to just jump in a car and travel elsewhere to get groceries.
The grocery store reopened the week of Thanksgiving.
As of last week Food Stamps were still 45 days away from being set up. I spent many hours last week calling State Senators, the governors office, the Department of Health and Human Services and the USDA trying to get help to expedite the process. Everyone is doing what they can.
Which brings me to today. I visited with the Foodbank of the Heartland and they had also been contacted by the Governors office to try and help. BUT - Everything takes time, and while we might get things expedited it's not going to happen today or next week.
Next week is Christmas.
Normally food baskets are put together for multiple families in Benkelman, Haigler and Stratton. But things are not normal this year.
I talked to the Lutheran Pastor this morning after talking with the Food Bank and asked him what he thought about a short term solution and trying to raise some funds through go-fund me account to help with the Christmas need and to help maintain the pantry a little better until we can get food stamps back.
He was very agreeable to it.
So now here I am asking for help. It might be a bad time of year for you, and that's okay... but many offered to try and help when I was running the temporary store. If you still have the ability to help, now is the time and it's desperately needed. A charitable donation to the food pantry/Ministerial Alliance will help provide some food baskets to some families during the holidays that are really struggling and if we can raise enough it will provide a cushion for the pantry until things get back to normal.
If you have the ability to donate a little to help out. Please do. I am doing this as a blitz, because we need to have an idea by tonight what we can raise to get the food baskets taken care of.
Thank you in advance for any help you might be able to give. I guess I have lived a little bit under a rock, because until we did this temporary grocery store, I did not really understand or maybe I had never thought about there were people in our own little community that were struggling just to eat.
God Bless You, and Merry Christmas from your friends in Benkelman.
PS. If you are in Benkelman and see this and want to donate, you can also drop a check off at the newspaper this afternoon make out to the Dundy County Ministerial Alliance.
For questions you can call me at [phone redacted].
Amy Frederick
At the end of July, Benkelman lost our grocery store. We opened a temporary store in the newspaper as a stop gap until the store could get reopened.
There have been some side issues that have arisen over the last several months. The food pantry has struggled. Food stamps and Wic have not been available in Benkelman for 5 months now.
I did not realize until we ran the temporary store what an impact this would have on families within the community. Many that are in need are not able to just jump in a car and travel elsewhere to get groceries.
The grocery store reopened the week of Thanksgiving.
As of last week Food Stamps were still 45 days away from being set up. I spent many hours last week calling State Senators, the governors office, the Department of Health and Human Services and the USDA trying to get help to expedite the process. Everyone is doing what they can.
Which brings me to today. I visited with the Foodbank of the Heartland and they had also been contacted by the Governors office to try and help. BUT - Everything takes time, and while we might get things expedited it's not going to happen today or next week.
Next week is Christmas.
Normally food baskets are put together for multiple families in Benkelman, Haigler and Stratton. But things are not normal this year.
I talked to the Lutheran Pastor this morning after talking with the Food Bank and asked him what he thought about a short term solution and trying to raise some funds through go-fund me account to help with the Christmas need and to help maintain the pantry a little better until we can get food stamps back.
He was very agreeable to it.
So now here I am asking for help. It might be a bad time of year for you, and that's okay... but many offered to try and help when I was running the temporary store. If you still have the ability to help, now is the time and it's desperately needed. A charitable donation to the food pantry/Ministerial Alliance will help provide some food baskets to some families during the holidays that are really struggling and if we can raise enough it will provide a cushion for the pantry until things get back to normal.
If you have the ability to donate a little to help out. Please do. I am doing this as a blitz, because we need to have an idea by tonight what we can raise to get the food baskets taken care of.
Thank you in advance for any help you might be able to give. I guess I have lived a little bit under a rock, because until we did this temporary grocery store, I did not really understand or maybe I had never thought about there were people in our own little community that were struggling just to eat.
God Bless You, and Merry Christmas from your friends in Benkelman.
PS. If you are in Benkelman and see this and want to donate, you can also drop a check off at the newspaper this afternoon make out to the Dundy County Ministerial Alliance.
For questions you can call me at [phone redacted].
Amy Frederick
Organizer and beneficiary
Amy Fries Frederick
Organizer
Benkelman, NE
Doug Hjelmstad
Beneficiary