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Church food bank offers food and friendship
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Neighbors | Emily Gianetti.Bev Wolboldt (left), Ada Miller and Betty Brindiar (right) have been working at the program for nearly two decades.
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Phyllis Conroy (left), an Operation Blessing veteran of 20 years, has gotten her daughter, Barb Bausch, involved in the program.
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Operation Blessing is self-sustaining — it relies on some food donations, but uses no government funding to buy its large shipments of food.
By EMILY GIANETTI
During the summer, Operation Blessing serves about 300 needy people on a monthly basis. That number can climb to more than 400 in the winter.
No matter the number, the volunteers at the Canfield Presbyterian Church food bank are always ready to serve.
“We don’t want them to stop coming,” she said, “They need to eat, and we’re always here for them,” said Betty Brindiar, director of Operation Blessing.
On Aug. 18, more 125 people came to the church to receive groceries.
Operation Blessing takes place on the third Thursday of every month. Its volunteers hand out bags of nonperishable food items like spaghetti, macaroni and cheese and canned goods. They also serve hot dogs and cookies for guests to eat while at the church.
The program began in 1985 and has been under Brindiar’s direction for the past 18 years. During that time, it is evident that many Operation Blessing volunteers have developed relationships with the people they are helping. Visitors were greeted and even asked how their families were doing. Hospitality included a smile and a ‘Have a nice day’ from volunteers before guests left.
“Some of these people have been coming for a long time,” explained Brindiar. “That’s how you get to know them so well.”
In order to receive food for the first time, families had to present a proof of income. Brindiar does give one month’s worth of “emergency food” if people, for any reason, do not have their papers with them. Most already had a card they presented to volunteers.
Brindiar noted that the number of people coming in wasn’t as big as it used to be. More and more food banks keep popping up at churches to help fill the need.