Sharon Hayden gives food boxes to Clay County Transportation Department. CCT has been an important partner to both Matt's Ministry and the Clay County Food Pantry because the buses deliver food to those who cannot drive to get their own.
More than 50 million Americans now face hunger. According to: www.feedingamerica.org report, rising unemployment during the COVID-19 pandemic, has also created more food insecurity.
Clay County residents have two important resources available for food assistance. Operated completely by volunteers, both the Clay County Food Pantry and Matt’s Ministry provide food to those who need it. In the last several months, both organizations have converted to drive-through food distribution to accommodate COVID social distancing. Sometimes there has been extreme heat, while other days has brought rain or chilly weather.
Even as the volunteers must endure the elements to provide the food, they do because they know winter may make the food pocketbook a little emptier for those who are already struggling. If you need help with food, even temporarily, or if you want to assist getting more food to your neighbors, here is the information.
The Clay County Food Pantry, Inc, where approximately 200 families are served every week. “That is more than 400 individuals, including 100 children,” pantry president Bill Rice explained. “On Turkey Day, the Friday before Thanksgiving, we gave more than 200 Thanksgiving boxes, in addition to the regular boxes of food people get. We gave more than 100 turkeys and some chickens. We did not give hams, but we had heard some senior center clients would like ham so we were able to provide small hams for them.”
Friday, Dec. 18 will be the day for distribution of Christmas turkeys and chickens. From 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. every Friday, guests who need food may drive through the building’s parking area. Clay County residents with incomes at or below poverty level are eligible to obtain food every week. No documentation is required although volunteers do complete forms for each guest to meet Manna’s federal guidelines.
Because of the current drive through nature of the pantry, guests are given pre-prepared boxes. There are various extra items available. Rice said the pantry also provides food for some people through the Clay County Senior Center and Clay County Transportation began delivering food after COVID began. “Our county transportation department and the senior center have been wonderful in helping provide food and making sure people are fed,” Rice replied when asked if the food situation in Clay County is dire. “The school system sent meals home on the buses for students even when there was no school, which kept food service and bus drivers working,” he continued. “We try to buy what we can locally to help the local economy. Many of the turkeys were purchased locally, as well as a lot of the fresh produce.”
Most of the food distributed by the food pantry comes from Manna Food Bank in Asheville. Rice said there were some problems acquiring food consistently when COVID-19 first began; however, most have been worked out and Manna even brings fresh produce on some trucks. Some of the federal feeding programs like Feed America also began assisting.
The Clay County Food Pantry was started in 1992, in the basement of the Oak Forest United Methodist Church. The vision of the non-denominational, ecumenical effort was to resolve the suffering of Clay County’s hunger “one box at a time.” Non-profit status came in 1995 and the organization partnered with Hinton Center in 2000 to open a food pantry facility. Being a non-profit allows the group to apply for grants which helps pay for food, pantry equipment and sometimes other programs.
A grant has allowed the Clay County Food Pantry to offer a supplemental senior box to 150 seniors every other week. It includes food, paper goods, hygiene items and food supplement shakes. “That grant is not being renewed so we may not be able to do it because it’s expensive,” Rice said.
There is always a need for more food or funds to buy food. Monetary donations may be sent to Clay County Food Pantry, PO Box 853, Hayesville, N.C. 28904. Volunteers pack food boxes on site every Thursday morning and unload trucks every other Thursday afternoon. Food distribution is only on Fridays, but volunteers are also needed then. Food donations may be brought to the pantry on Thursdays or Fridays.
The pantry is located at 2278 Hinton Center Road. Rice ended, “We are thankful for volunteers and donors. We couldn’t operate without both of those.” Call (828) 389-1657 or visit: www.claycountyfoodpantry.org. Matt’s Ministry is Clay County’s other food bank, but it is also a literacy mission.
About 125 families are provided food each Saturday morning between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. “About 15 families have food delivered by volunteers every two weeks,” MM volunteer Sharon Hayden said, “In addition, Clay County transportation delivers to about 18 families each week and social services delivers to about 10 senior families every two weeks.” Patrons may visit every week and are supposed to be Clay County residents.
The organization is not currently checking residency paperwork due to pandemic guidelines. All food is currently being given on a drive through basis due to a health department mandate. That will continue as long as they are instructed to distribute that way. Matt’s Ministry began in Clay County several years ago when the members of Ledford’s Chapel UMC wanted to honor Matt Butler, a young church member who had died a few months prior.
The tiny church used its social hall to start a food backpack ministry so Clay County students could take bags of food home on the weekends. Within a few months of starting, church members were distributing a few hundred bags every Friday as well as taking some to local homes. Volunteers would spend hours packing bags in the church social hall each week. Later, the church opened its social hall doors on Saturdays when some families and other residents would visit to take food home.
As demand grew, the group’s vision grew. A few years ago, a grant allowed them to construct a building across the highway from the church where the food bank could also have freezers and storage. As a Hayesville Elementary School teacher, Maggie Butler, mother of Matt Butler, recognized the need for better literacy among local children. She suggested a partnership with the Dolly Parton Imagination Library and Matt’s Ministry included that in its mission.
Every child in Clay County from newborn through preschool, is eligible to receive free books in the mail every month. That program can provide books for one child for a year for only $25, so donations are always welcome. When asked how people may help with either mission, Butler replied, “We can always use help on Saturdays, food donations and money.” Donations to Matt’s Ministry may be sent to PO Box 205, Hayesville, N.C. 28904. Matt’s Ministry is located at 123 W.J. Cabe Road. Visit http://mattsministry.org.