Local food pantry announces urgent need
A nonprofit organization in downtown Colorado Springs is expressing an urgent need for food donations.
Ecumenical Social Ministries, 201 N. Weber St., made an appeal request Wednesday on Facebook to restock its food pantry.
Ann Steiner Lantz, ESM’s executive director, said the pantry is serving 227 more families, around 1,000 additional people, than it did a year ago.
“We don’t know why,” she said. “They’re people who have had economic challenges. Their refrigerator died, their child broke his arm, etc. They’re paying a lot of extra bills, and bill collectors, a lot of times, come before food in a lot of our families. It’s a really sad commentary.”
Lantz said the situation peaks at the end of each month when food demand is highest.
“We’re able to buy some food from the Care and Share Food Bank,” she said. “But we have limited funds to do that.”
Adrienne Heffington, 41, depends on ESM’s food pantry and says allocations have dropped significantly.
“Last year, I think it was summertime when my husband and I came and got food,” she said. “We got two bags full. Just recently when I came and got food, it was half a bag. And that’s about once a month.”
Heffington said she and her husband have been homeless and living in motels since moving here from North Carolina a year ago.
“We came here for a job,” she said. “My husband was going to build a store. But the crew went back to North Carolina and my husband had a stroke.”
Heffington said she visits two other food pantries to find enough food.
“I have to take the bus so sometimes it takes all day,” she said. “The other pantries also are seeing a greater demand.”
Last year before demand increased, ESM served around 24,000 people.
ESM is asking for donations of peanut butter, jelly, powdered milk, peas, beans, chili, pork and beans, canned meat, pasta sauce, noodles, pickles, olives, applesauce, cereal, crackers, granola bars, coffee, tea, fruit juices, canned fruit, salad dressing, cooking oil and children’s snacks.
ESM is seeking donations of food or money to buy food.
ESM is an organization of eight downtown churches, which respond to the emergency needs of low-income, homeless and unemployed individuals and families in Colorado Springs.
