6,000 folks facing hunger in Cleveland Township will come to the door of the Cleveland Township Emergency Food Pantry, a community project of Basic Needs Ministry, a public charity. They don’t have the money to eat at Bojangle’s, but instead look behind it on NC 42, for the door that opens the way to fill their bellies. This year, 135,000 meals will be requested and over 120,000 pounds of food will be needed. Despite adding volunteers, who took on the responsibilities of registration and food serving, the pantry is short food since losing two shoppers due to health issues and another two due to work schedule conflicts. Since the major food sources in Raleigh only offer daytime appointments, Basic Needs lost the ability to bring in 2,000 of its weekly 2,600 pounds of food until it finds additional help. Volunteers have been able to handle the food distribution Monday evenings 6-9 p.m. and most Saturday mornings from 9-12, but with the increased need, folks are needed to hand out the food from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday. Even with enough drivers, a balanced diet has been nearly impossible to provide. Available quality produce has been scarce this summer, as have canned fruits and vegetables. The General Assembly surprised the pantry with over 900 pounds of canned green beans last week. The pantry has been trying to find meat for its clients, but at times, it has been limited to two ounces per meal. Donated milk and other dairy products have been in short supply for two years. Although Cleveland Township is unincorporated, its subdivisions hold a population of 12,000, or ten working families for every family in need. Beside the local donations of food, the pantry has a reputation for good shopping and providing $25 worth of food for every food dollar donated and spent. That allowed it to bring in $400,000 worth of food last year. In less than six years, the people in the community have worked with Basic Needs to provide over $12 million in benefits, while never reaching its current $65,000 annual budget. Volunteers and donors of food and money to buy food are encouraged to contact Basic Needs Ministry, Garner, at 919-661-6565 or drop donations by on the only two days a week it is open: Monday evenings 6-9 p.m. and Saturdays 9-6. Web Site at: http://4042needs.org/
