Colquitt County Food Bank: 35 years of helping the needy

Published 1:00 pm Tuesday, September 4, 2018

MOULTRIE, Ga. — It’s been said that man doesn’t live by bread alone; but anyone who’s been without it an extended period of time would rank it pretty high on their list of life’s necessities.

Despite low unemployment, the numbers of needy on the food front don’t seem to be dropping, said Andrew Christensen, executive director at Colquitt County Food Bank.

“That never happens,” said Christensen.

That’s not surprising, as statistics show that the  ranks of those considered “food-insecure” are not improving at the same pace as people are finding jobs.

Food insecurity is lacking reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food. After the 2008-2009 economic recession food insecurity peaked in 2013 at 23.3 percent in households with children and 16.1 percent in childless households , according to the Food Research & Action Center. That year the overall rate peaked at 18.9 percent for all households, then dropped to 15.1 percent by 2016 and increased slightly in 2017 to 15.7 percent.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s figures, released in September 2017, put the number of food-insecure households in 2016 at 12.3 percent, the last year for which figures are available, down from 12.7 percent the previous year. Those in the category of very-low food insecurity was 4.9 percent in 2016 and 5 percent in 2015.

Locally, there has been no drop off in need, Christensen said.

“For the first three months of the year we’re three and a half percent over what we did at that time last year,” he said. “For the year 2017 we were 3 percent over what we had done in 2016.

The organization had seen double-digit increases in the number of people it served in each of the previous four years.

“The needs are presenting itself to us more often, or we’re getting in touch more than we did in the past,” Christen said.

In “conservative” numbers the food bank distributed enough food in 2017 for 148,500 meals and served 9,900 individuals and 3,593 families.

From January through April 2,908 individuals and 1,002 families were served, with food for an estimated 43,620 meals distributed.

This month marks a milestone for the food bank. It took its first orders for food on Sept. 17, 1983, and received its first contribution — in the amount of $300 — nine days later, according to handwritten notes recorded by Vann Platter, who spearheaded the founding of the food bank.

“This September will be 35 years in continuous operation,” Christensen said.

People who need food assistance can apply at a number of churches in the community and the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services’ Colquitt County office on North Main Street.

“The way Vann Platter originally set it up, when he set it up in 1983, different organizations that are working with people and serving needs take the information,” Christensen said. “They call us and they pick it up and deliver it to the people who need food. Christmas is the only time people actually come here.”

With cuts to the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program the food bank has been distributing about 84 boxes per week for school children to take home for the weekend.

Clients — with the exception of Thanksgiving and Christmas distributions — do not pick up food at the food bank. They pick up the packages at churches and other locations that work with the organization.

The food, much of it canned and dry goods, is calculated to provide three meals each day for five days. However, Christensen said that the amount given probably would stretch a little beyond that.

Christensen is only the third director in the food bank’s history. Platter was director for many years, then Andy Jordan served nearly a decade in the role. Christensen took over when Jordan died in 2013.

He doesn’t do the unpaid job in a vacuum, though. He has many groups, churches and individuals who give time to help sort and shelve food and to package it for distribution.

Among the records kept are the hours put in by volunteers. In 2017, 7,358 volunteer hours were given, said Christensen, pulling the information from a file. From January through April that figure was 2,192 hours.

“This year I wanted to highlight the volunteers who come in here and make all this work,” he said.

It also takes the generosity of the community to keep the operation running. Food comes in from the small donations of individuals to the large, such as when the U.S. Post Office has a food drive.

Sometimes even children’s birthday parties are a source of food.

“They say come to the birthday party, bring a canned good instead of a present,” Christensen said. “When I see that it makes me feel good. We try to give kids a tour to show them what we do.”

Second Harvest of South Georgia is a major donor of food. Industries, including National Beef and Sanderson Farms also make large donations. Grocery stores also donate.

“Every time I see their trucks pull up I throw up my hands and shout hallelujah,” Christensen said.

It also takes a little cash. Even though all the work is done by volunteers the food bank’s coolers and freezers run year round at a cost of about $1,000 per month.

The food bank shares with other organizations including the Serenity House domestic abuse shelter, the Cross Roads Mission homeless shelter and the Moultrie Senior Center. It distributes food to more than 80 senior citizens 60 and older through a commodities program in which it packages the food and disperses it to clients.

Christensen said he is humbled by the community’s generosity. He is especially gratified when a parent brings a child down to see the activity.

“To see a young mother bring in her child to learn about giving, that’s a special moment,” he said. “If we can give somebody hope, if we can help them out, we’ve done our job. We never know exactly what we’re going to have. What we have, we share with folks.

“The generosity of this community to help others keeps us in business, whether it’s money or food items or their time.”