Where were you on Sunday morning? It’s a pretty good bet that you were at church. At St. John’s Baptist Church and Mount Calvary Lutheran Church, people brought canned goods with them on Sunday to donate to local families in need of food. If you were at King Soopers over the weekend, you may have seen schoolchildren collecting donations for the Care & Share Food Bank of Southern Colorado. Maybe you picked up a book at the public library and saw signs asking patrons to donate food to Care & Share. Hopefully, the food drive bins were filling up just like the food donation tables at many local fitness facilities. On an ongoing basis, Woodmen Valley Chapel provides 300 food bags every week to schools, 50 bags per month to two senior facilities and 15 food bags to an agency which assists single mothers. In Monument, Tri-Lakes Cares has a food pantry and food assistance program and Silver Key Senior Services has a food assistance program for seniors throughout the wider community. 

As the government shutdown drags on, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has been delayed, leaving 42 million people across the country without help to buy food for their families. Research shows that nearly 40% of children, 20% of seniors and 10% of disabled individuals in the U.S. depend on SNAP benefits to put food on the table. That’s part of the reason that free school breakfast and lunch programs have grown in recent years. Unemployment keeps rising which contributes to the scarcity of food and housing.  

Active duty service members, National Guard reserve personnel, border patrol agents and many other government employees are working without pay because of the government shutdown. The list grows every week and now includes Transportation and Security Administration (TSA) workers, air traffic controllers, civilian faculty at the U.S. Air Force Academy and Drug Enforcement (DEA) Agents. Working without pay often means that families can no longer afford day care for their kids, gas for their vehicles, food or prescription medicines.  

Across the country, food pantries have seen a startling increase in the numbers of people lining up before the food pantry opens in the morning and food supplies are dwindling quickly every day.  New York City has over 600 food pantries, approximately 90% of which are associated with or supported by religious organizations and non-profits. Suffice it to say that these organizations are under strain to serve the most needy.  

Recently in Colorado Springs, ENT Credit Union gave a $25,000 contribution for emergency funding for the Care & Share Food Bank for Southern Colorado and the Mayor is calling on citizens to reach into their pockets and donate funds or canned goods. The El Pomar Foundation often fills the gap in our community with a wide variety of needs both short and long-term. If you’ve heard of the Empty Stocking Fund, you’ll hear more this month as the annual fundraising drive gears up. Since 1984, the Gazette has spearheaded the Empty Stocking Fund to provide funds for health and human service organizations and people in crisis. The Fund is comprised of 20 partner agencies such as TESSA, Peak Vista, Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center and Care & Share. Since its founding, the Empty Stocking Fund has raised over $28 million. 

As Thanksgiving approaches, consider your contribution to others in our community. If you’re hosting a holiday meal, donate the equivalent cost in funds to the Springs Rescue Mission, the Salvation Army or Care & Share. Consider bringing a Safeway or King Soopers gift card to St. Gabriel The Archangel Catholic Church for the St. Elizabeth of Hungary food drive. Online donations are also welcome. Every dollar helps.  

Lastly, we could follow in the footsteps of disabled veteran Kaitlyn May. Earlier this year, she started a baking business called Cravings by Kaitlyn. On a recent Saturday, she baked extra batches of bread and gave out 46 loaves to people in need, including those who depend on SNAP benefits. Maybe ‘tis the season for baking.