What is Poverty?

Outreach Ministry of St. Stephen’s Oxford
Area Congregations in Ministry (Granville County Food Bank)

Who comes to ACIM?
On two days recently, a volunteer jotted down a few facts about the clients he was talking to—when they were born, female or male, how many in their household.  The sample (26) is way too small, but it is random, and it is interesting:

• 1 of 26 was disabled.
• 19 of 26 were female.
• 21 of 26 were single person households.
• 23 of 26 were over 60, 6 were over 80, & 1 was over 90.  (Born in the 1920s!)

So the most frequent ACIM client is a 60-90 year old woman living alone.

A Visit to ACIM
The first people arrive at ACIM around 7:00 AM to wait for the doors to open two hours later.  Beginning at 9:00, they sign in and have a seat in the waiting area.  They show their ID.  Their folder is pulled and racked in first-come order. 

After some time, an intake person takes the next folder in the queue and calls the client’s name.  The two of them go to one of four intake cubicles.  The intake person confirms key data in the client’s folder—date of last visit, number of adults and children in the household, IDs on file, date food stamp approval will expire, is the client a senior, is he or she approved for a Senior Box, etc.?

The client signs their TEFAP form (Emergency Food Assistance Program) and the intake person gives them a reminder form telling them when they can come back.  The client chooses three hygiene items from whatever is available on the cubicle’s shelf.  The intake person fills out a cart slip and takes it to the food room.  A volunteer in the food room fills a grocery cart with food based on the number in the household & what ACIM has available.  The volunteer calls the client & helps them put the food in their car.  On most days, the process will have taken several hours.

Needs
Right now, ACIM’s shelves are nearly empty of hygiene items.  If you can, please bring toothpaste, shampoo, soap/body wash, toilet paper, Kleenex, hand sanitizer, and disposable diapers (sizes 3 to 5) by the church.  You can put your contributions in the Parish Hall, in the closet in the front left corner.  If you do not have time to shop, please make a dollar donation at the Church Office, and a volunteer will shop for you.

Thank you!