Category: Food Insecurity

Grateful Guest Gives Back

Grateful Guest Gives Back

On January 23rd, Loop Ministries once again hosted our monthly Food for the Soul Luncheon. Guests were welcomed with adorable snowman centerpieces (made by team of helpers from Lifetime Assistance and our volunteer coordinator, Doris Gaspar) and shared a delicious meal of chicken and vegetables (prepared in advance by chef Mike Otto and served by Carol Thielman and the team). Generous portions of blueberry coffee cake were enjoyed for dessert.

This month’s featured guest is a woman named “Jazzy”. Jazzy is originally from Guam and was flown to the University of Rochester Medical Center from her home for cancer treatment twenty years ago. She survived several different types of cancer and remained in Rochester following her treatment.

Jazzy has two children who live in Atlanta with their aunt. After careful consideration, she made the difficult and unselfish decision to send her children to Atlanta because she was concerned that they would become involved in gang activity if they remained in Rochester. She is excited for her son to get his driver’s license and looks forward to an upcoming visit from him.

Jazzy is very appreciative of all that Loop does, and is especially happy that she is able to get such a generous bag of groceries from the Food Pantry at every Food for the Soul luncheon. She loves coming every month, and will be giving back to Loop and the luncheon community next month by helping the meal team cook and serve food. We’re grateful for her participation in the Loop family, and for her eagerness to help!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: Who does the Food Program serve?

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: Who does the Food Program serve?

The Loop Ministries Food Program serves people ranging from childhood through late life. We serve the physically and mentally disabled, U.S. Veterans, and multiple orientations and ethnicities, predominantly African American, Caucasian, and Hispanic. Regarding employment, those who come are unemployed, partially employed, and “under” employed, indicating that a full time job wage does not enable them to provide adequately for their needs.

Last year three quarters of the people we served used the pantry, not as a regular extension of their kitchen cupboards, but only for several months until some emergency was dealt with and they were back on their feet. We, therefore, truly live up to our designation as an “emergency” food pantry. We do not perpetuate people’s comfortability with poverty by encouraging them to live on hand outs. On the contrary, we are a safety net to keep them from entering the welfare system, by giving them a compassionate leg-up when needed.

(Loop Ministries is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization providing groceries and meals to the under-served in some of the most economically challenging areas of Rochester, including zip codes: 14604, 14605, 14607, 14608, 14609, 14614, 14620. The monthly meals are open to anyone residing in Monroe County. Loop Ministries is grateful to the Lutheran Church of the Reformation, located in the heart of the city, for the use of their space to run operations.)