If it wasn’t for the Fayette County Emergency Food Assistance Center, many people in Fayette County would be hungry.
“Fayette county used to have 12 food pantries, now we are the only one… except for a couple of churches that have their own personal, private food pantries,” said secretary Marie Williams. “It is a lifeline.”
On this World Food Day, every Monday and Friday and behind the scenes, the FCEFAC is doing all they can to combat poverty and hunger in the community.
They have a clientele of almost 1200 and give out 250 food boxes a month, yet there are people who still drive long distances.
“From the valley and way over almost in Nicholas County to come and when they get here there’s nothing because the first 250 boxes are gone,” Williams said.
And they have a budget.
“So we don’t have any more money than that to make boxes for that month,” said the secretary.
They’re open from 9am-12noon and 175-200 people stop by to get basics like bread, milk and eggs — whatever the pantry has at that time. On box day folks are already lining up at 7am when Marie arrives. She says their center is hurting and is asking for non-perishable items.
“Any canned food or whatever that they can spare,” Williams said. “You don’t have to bring a whole lot of stuff. Just if everybody brought a can, look how much that would be.”
In the 22 years that Marie has been at the pantry, she says things have only gotten worse. The government has significantly cut their funding and doesn’t provide food like they used to — dry beans in place of monthly meat to use as protein and one month they received just six cases of green beans, which doesn’t feed 100 people.
“So we’re having a struggle right now; I’ve never seen it this low — but God has always provided and he will provide again,” said Williams.
