Foreclosures Keeping the Kitchens Full of Activity
During the holiday season the foreclosures are keeping the kitchens roaring with activity in Central Indiana. Christmas is a time for introspection and many think themselves fortunate to be helping others by way of charity. Foreclosure related crisis has made the need of the community great not only during the holidays but also for every day of the year.
In Marion County the Society of St. Vincent de Paul has brought hope with help to many families for the last four decades. Recently the demand for assistance has shot up. But many of these real life stories have got lost in the hype about stock markets, bailouts and unemployment figures.
The organization of Indianapolis St. Vincent de Paul comprises of over 1,400 sincere and dedicated volunteers. There is no paid staff in the body.
They have noticed that workload had noticeably increased throughout 2008. Many have suffered because of the foreclosure crisis and job losses but there is a vast majority of help seekers who have never come anywhere near owning a house.
The food kitchen of the organization caters to the requirements of over 3,000 families each week today. In January the number was 2,000. It is the biggest food panty in Indiana and most probably in the entire Midwest.
The food is varied and they depend on National Food Bank Network as well as the generosity of Kroger, Second Helpings and Colonial Bakeries.
There are also private donations responding to food drive operations. Even with this massive support they still need over $250,000 to address the rapidly growing number of needy for 2009. The current level of help calculates to the families each getting $45 to %55 value of food per week.
The organization is not helped by any governmental funding. Neither does it get direct help from the Catholic Church although the name is that of a Catholic saint. It is does not have the membership of United Way because the body does not have any paid executive director – all the workers are volunteers.
The volunteers from Catholic parishes and the community in general registers the families, collects the food, stores them and then sees to the distribution. They take personal care of the items and have them delivered to those who cannot go out of their homes.
Those interested can log on to its website and come forward to stand beside the needy who are in acute condition thanks to the foreclosure crisis.
