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FREE LUNCH FEEDS FOLKS

By Jeannie Nugent/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF
Thursday, June 7, 2007 10:02 AM CDT

This summer, 82-year-old Mildred Blunt will get out of bed at the crack of dawn each day, put on an apron and hair net then head down to spend the day at the First Trinity Church of God in Christ.

There she fusses at children to wash their hands before they’re allowed in the food line to eat one of the two daily meals she and a host of other volunteers have prepared.

Blunt is affectionately known by the children and staff alike as “Madea,” short for “mother dear.”

“I just can’t sit down and do nothing,” said Madea, who has worked with the program since its inception more than 15 years ago. “It’s going to come a day that I’ll have to stop, but until that day comes, I’m going to head on. When the Good Lord gives you good health and strength, you’ve got to thank him for it.”

First Trinity is the hub for about six other churches and organizations that are part of the “Summer Special Nutrition Food Program,” an initiative that provides breakfast and lunch through the summer months to children from birth to 18 years old.

First Trinity’s pastor, Elder DeWitt Hill, said the program is only a small part of the solution for a problem swamping area residents.

Arkansas leads the nation in the number of citizens living in poverty and suffering from hunger. Jefferson County has nearly 21 percent of its residents living below the poverty level; Pine Bluff has nearly 26 percent.

The county is also one of the highest in the state for participation in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s free or reduced lunch program. About 77 percent of 5,179 students in the Pine Bluff School District are eligible for federal lunch assistance. Dollarway School District is at 100 percent, while Watson Chapel is 58 percent and White Hall is 31 percent.

The First Trinity program is partially funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture, but Hill said it’s the church’s job to pick up where the government leaves off.

“There is a great need in the community,” Hill said. “My desire when we started this is that when the public school lets out, the church would take over. We feel like the church owes something to the community. We’re here to bridge that gap.”

Hill said he hopes other churches; youth programs and even daycares will take advantage of the summer food program.

“Some of these programs are charging fees to families that can’t afford it. There’s so many people trying to buy food to meet the need,” he said. “Bring them out here and feed them. Let them eat for free.”

Pine Bluff Alderman Irene Holcomb has seen the local need for hunger assistance first hand. She is co-director of the food pantry at Eighth Avenue Missionary Baptist Church where she is a member.

“We see a fairly large number of people come through here,” she said. “We just supplement what they’ve already been given. Sometimes they need more than just food; sometimes they need inspiration. We’re a small pantry, but we just try to help with their physical and spiritual well-being. It’s really a ministry.”

Holcomb would like to see Pine Bluff become a food distribution center that collects food then distributes it to local food banks. The closest centers are located in Little Rock or Warren, more than 40 miles away.

“You need to bring it in closer proximity to the people,” she said. “There are more needs here than we are actually satisfying, especially with the children and the elderly. They’re often faced with a daily choice between food and their medicine. I wouldn’t want to make that choice.”

To bring awareness to the need for hunger relief initiatives in the state, U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., marked Tuesday as “National Hunger Awareness Day” by beginning a three-day “Food Stamp Challenge” issued by the Arkansas Hunger Coalition.

Beginning Wednesday and continuing through Friday, Lincoln will eat within the limits of an Arkansan’s food stamp budget — $1 per meal, per day.

“Most Arkansans are unaware of just how many of their neighbors go to sleep hungry every night,” Lincoln said. “Arkansas has the third highest incidence of hunger in the nation and more than 400,000 Arkansans live in food insecurity. These individuals are our neighbors, our relatives, our co-workers, and our friends. The good news is that hunger has a solution and that by working together, we can put an end to hunger.”

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