Summer Months Bring Greater Need for Food Donations

As the temperature heats up, donations for the Food for Sharing program at St. Patrick Catholic Church of White Lake have gone down.

“People are not bringing as much in during the summer because they feel like people don’t need it as badly,” said Mary Domine, Christian Service Coordinator at St. Patrick. “Last week, we only received a box of spaghetti.”

While the sunshine and beach weather can offer the illusion that the urgency for charity is lessened, it increases greatly for families with young kids. Children who would typically benefit from the free lunch programs at local White Lake schools are now home during the day and are in need of basic staples.

“We need things like peanut butter, tuna fish, pastas and marinara sauce,” said Domine. “We really need things with substance.”

Once donated to the church, the food items are taken weekly by a St. Patrick parishioner to the Open Door Outreach Center, a charity based in Waterford, to disperse to the community.

“We have been in business for 31 years,” said Sharon Josephson, executive director for the Open Door. “We always need cereal, peanut butter, jelly, chili, stew and personal care items. We need everything, but those are things that don’t get donated as much.”

According to Josephson, a decline in donations during the summer months is a challenge they experience every year.

“It makes it a little harder because kids are home and it puts more of a strain on the budget,” Josephson said. “If (recipients) have school-aged children, they get an extra box of food during the summer months and we average about 300 families a month.”

The Open Door provides charitable services to the communities of White Lake, Waterford, Commerce, West Bloomfield, Sylvan Lake, Keego Harbor, Walled Lake and areas of Wixom. Donations from local churches are crucial to their ability to feed the hungry.

“It is vital to us,” Josephson said. “Numerous churches donate to us, some more than others. If we didn’t have them on an ongoing basis, it would be very difficult for us.” While Josephson said they cannot provide the entire food supply for a family each month, the supplementation they can offer their clients is very important.

“Ninety-nine percent of (clients) are extremely appreciative,” she said. “Some get food stamps; some don’t. If they didn’t have this, it would be very hard on them.”

Through action taken by St. Patrick parishioners, families can be fed during these difficult months while children are on hiatus from school and Domine encourages others to extend a hand to their less fortunate neighbors.

“It is our duty as Christians to be disciples and to do for others,” she said. “We do it because it is what Jesus did.”

Any canned and box food items or basic care necessities can be dropped off to St. Patrick Catholic Church for donation.