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JournalNews starts food relief campaign

The Hamilton JournalNews Food Relief campaign kicks off today, Nov. 15, to raise money for pantries supported by Shared Harvest Foodbank. Jessie Matheny visited Serve City Food Pantry for the first time on Thursday, Nov. 12.

Staff photo by Nick Daggy The Hamilton JournalNews Food Relief campaign kicks off today, Nov. 15, to raise money for pantries supported by Shared Harvest Foodbank. Jessie Matheny visited Serve City Food Pantry for the first time on Thursday, Nov. 12.

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By Tiffany Y. Latta, Staff Writer Updated 10:56 AM Monday, November 16, 2009

HAMILTON — Earlier this year, Jessie Matheny was a homemaker who was weeks away from graduating from Miami University with a degree in nursing.

But when her husband of 16 years left in May, Matheny, 41, of New Miami was left with no money and no way to pay her bills, feed her family or care for her two sons.

“When he left he took everything. I’m going to lose everything. The house is in foreclosure,” Matheny said.

Matheny was one of thousands who last week visited Serve City Food Pantry, the Lord’s Cupboard, and other Butler County pantries, which are serving record numbers of residents due to the economic downturn.

Heading into the peak holiday season, nonprofit officials say fundraisers like the Hamilton JournalNews Food Relief campaign are vital. The annual campaign kicks off today, Nov. 15, with the goal of raising more than $22,000 to help area pantries distribute food to the needy.

The campaign ends Jan. 3. The annual JN campaign raised $22,222 last year, the most in the history of the fundraiser.

The record came in the thick of the national recession when unemployment and the number of people seeking emergency food assistance was on the rise.

Now, with unemployment in Butler County at 9.1 percent, 85,000 families have sought help from emergency food pantries this year, up 43 percent from 59,000 families last year.

Many, like Matheny, are seeking assistance for the first time.

“The JournalNews Food Relief holds a promise for a better tomorrow. It provides more than food, it provides a way to care for each other, especially in this extraordinary time of need,’’ said Tina Osso, director of the Shared Harvest Foodbank.

“It’s a positive for people who used to give to JournalNews Food Relief who now find themselves with empty cupboards.’’

Shared Harvest is the primary food supplier for a network of 120 agencies in Butler, Warren, Preble, Darke and Miami counties that are projected to serve 129,000 families this year, up 17 percent from last year when 110,030 were served.

The funds raised will help feed 6,100 families in Butler County alone.

Matheny, who has a 15-year-old son and a son who recently joined the military, said she never imagined she would have to ask for help.

Though she received her degree in nursing in May, she can’t afford to pay the $200 to take the state exam for her license, and pay utility bills and a $956 house payment.

“I’ve never had to do anything like this before,’’ said Matheny after loading a shopping cart of food from the pantry into a friend’s truck.

“I was financially stable, a housewife, and a student until he decided to have a midlife crisis."

Dear Readers,

Let me relay a true story.

A woman and her husband walked into a local food pantry seeking help. The woman was asking a lot of questions and her husband was sitting in the back and slid the bill of his hat over his eyes. It was obvious that he didn’t want to be there.

The husband was a truck driver but due to a recent medical condition, he was unable to drive. The wife picked up a second job, but neither one of her jobs paid enough to cover insurance and expenses. “I wouldn’t ask if we didn’t truly need the help. We ate cereal last night for dinner — without milk. We have no milk, bread, eggs, butter … I can be creative in the kitchen and make a meal without spending a lot of money, but there is no money.

He’s embarrassed, but we are hungry and we are emotionally drained.”

That woman’s words say more than I could ever say about the need to help those who are hungry in our community.

Today, the Hamilton JournalNews kicks off its annual JournalNews Food Relief drive. If you thought the need was great last year, it is even greater now. Tina Osso, executive director of Shared Harvest Foodbank, said their food pantries are reporting that more than 20 percent of the families turning to them for help have never asked for help before.

In this season of giving, please give the gift of food by donating to the fund. For every dollar you give, Shared Harvest can supply eight meals. If you would like to help, there is an envelope in today’s newspaper. Also envelopes will be inserted in the Dec. 6 and Dec. 20 editions of the Hamilton JournalNews. Or you can mail your contribution to Hamilton JournalNews Food Relief, P.O. Box 421545, Middletown, OH 45042-1545 or donate online at www.journal-news.com/foodrelief.

All contributions go directly to Shared Harvest. Join us in helping our neighbors.

Sincerely,

Edwina Blackwell Clark

Publisher

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