The Need: Hunger in Brown County

When Brown County Musicians began meeting in early 2008 for the CD project, building community by meeting a need was our envisioned end result. Mother’s Cupboard Community Kitchen (MC) addresses the most basic need: hunger. They do it well and with great efficiency. MC is one of a couple of groups in Brown County that serves as a food pantry while also providing hot meals. MC is unique in that it serves food seven days a week with no questions asked.

“Because we don’t require those we serve to fill out forms, we are not eligible for any kind of federal funding. But we always seem to get what we need when we need it,” said MC Board Member Don Schmidt.

The group operates on a yearly budget of about $36 to $40 thousand which pays for utilities and the wages of one employee. The food comes from “door drops”, donations left at the front door. Each week MC brings back nearly a ton of food from the Hoosier Hills Food Bank which also relies on donations. The rest of the food comes from food drives conducted by area churches and businesses as well as a few local restaurants that deliver perishable foods.

“I sometimes get anxious when planning the next week’s menu. You never know what they (Hoosier Hills Food Bank) are going to have. But I always seem to find what I need. I also rely on area churches. I can make a call and they quickly step up to meet the needs. I have been encouraged to see how God continues to provide,” said MC Director Jan Metz.

And those provisions have had to increase. The number of meals served in 2008 so far is up about 35%. First quarter numbers were even higher. They served 4,836 meals in the first quarter of 2007; during the first quarter of 2008, they served 7,372 meals, an increase of more than 50%. There may be several contributing factors to the increasing need: the economy, gas prices, flooding, and the May 2008 closure of the Department of Family and Children’s Brown County Food Pantry which served as many as 75 families on a monthly basis.

Why the need has increased is not hard to figure out: increasing gas prices equals increasing food prices. But there’s more: the Associated Press reports that over the past year, inflation rose 5.6 percent, the largest 12-month jump since the period ending in January 1991. (Click here for full article)

Outside of food and monetary donations, MC needs volunteer help. They need people to cook and serve, especially on weekends. In addition, they could really use someone with a truck to help transport food from the Hoosier Hills Food Bank. Help is also needed to unload the trucks upon arrival from the food bank.

So as the need increases, so does the opportunity to build community. We hope that the CD raises a lot of money, but all the more, we hope it serves to inspire people to action, to involvement, and to care.