November November 2015
www.MoonValleyTattler.com
VOL 35 No. 11
MOM’S PANTRY: SERVING ALL IN NEED BY SU SA N M E R C E R H I N R I C H S , R E P O R T E R , T H E M O O N VA L L E Y TAT T L E R
The need, unfortunately, persists unabatedly: Hungry children, women and men suffering daily from a situation called food insecurity. It’s witnessed on weekends in our Moon Valley neighborhood, as dozens of people, called guests by Mom’s Pantry staffers, wait at the site -- waiting to receive weekly food bags that will provide nutritional needs for at least three days, or nine meals. Housed along a stretch of roadway dotted with many independent enterprises, Mom’s Pantry, 13440 N. Cave Creek Rd., is a nonprofit 501-C-3 organization unique to our area, and among many food banks, by virtue of the fact that no income or employment data is necessary in order to receive provisions. All that’s required to sign up as a guest is an identification document bearing the registrant’s picture and a bill or receipt showing the ID holder’s place of residence. No geographic boundaries are set with regard to receiving assistance from Mom’s Pantry, principals there say. And with the holiday season upon us, the need for a reliable source of food can become even more pressing, David Docusen says. He’s the community services and resource manager at Mom’s Pantry, serving in that position since the site opened in May 2013. He works incessantly to develop awareness of the organization with the hope of fostering ongoing donor relationships. “What we don’t want to have our guests worry about during this special time -- this holiday season -- is food,” Docusen says. He’s hopeful our community-and-area residents will bring nonperishable food items or financial donations to Mom’s Pantry over the next weeks, months -- and even years. Yet, while holiday food drives at schools, houses of worship, grocery stores and offices definitely can and do provide a welcome source of nonperishable items during this festive time of year, Docusen says, folks at Mom’s Pantry think longterm -- continually developing that network of donors who will contribute year around. “Mom’s Pantry is an emergency, supplemental aid type of food organization,” Docusen says. “This is our priority -- our number one priority is welcoming our guests who are struggling and need a helping hand,” and doing so in a “dignified manner.” Bobbi Maguire works as Mom’s Pantry manager in charge of programming and facilities. A former volunteer at Mom’s Pantry, she assumed the managerial role in February. It’s a position from which she says she also can show her two daughters how their lives in faith can serve as a base from which to give back to others in need. Maguire’s days vary from logging in food donations, to handling routine
administrative duties and to coordinating Mom’s Pantry outreach programs, among other tasks. “We bill ourselves as the ‘inbetween pantry,’” she says. “There are a lot of people who cannot get assistance because they cannot meet state and federal guidelines,” but they still need to eat, she says. Volunteers form a crucial part of Mom’s Pantry, too. Volunteer Pam Trudeau visited the site one recent Saturday to collect a large bin for an early holiday food drive at her office. Two of her children, Shan, 4 years old, and Lucy, age 3, came to help her, too, that day. “We do anything to help out,” she says, adding she feels called to serve at the site and wants to encourage her youngsters to give back to the community and help fight hunger. Trudeau’s older children, Haven, 10, and Katherine, 16, also volunteer at Mom’s Pantry periodically, she says.
An outreach program backed by the Phoenix First Assembly of God Church and a nonprofit foundation helped establish the community food bank about 2 ½ years ago. Each continues to provide ongoing support, Docusen says. Also among its supporters are two insurance companies -- Farmers and Allstate -- as well as Continued on page 3...