Local church stepping up to help feed the public
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – For Herlinda Delarosa and Linda Ellis, providing their families with everyday necessities is not easy.
“Right now, I am not working, and I also have a child that is on disability,” said Delarosa. “I also have a very low income, and I am trying to do the best that I can for me and my child.”
Ellis is a mother of four.
” Milk is expensive, bread is expensive, and potatoes are expensive,” said Ellis. “If you do not qualify for government assistance, the state deems you as overqualified for those things. That makes all that stuff out of pocket, and that is hard when you are trying to feed six people on one income.”
Delarosa and Ellis were among the hundreds who attended a free grocery giveaway at the Assembly Church on Thursday morning. They said this small act of goodwill will play a huge part in helping provide for their families.
“This helps me a lot with whatever I cannot buy,” said Delarosa. “It is something to help me get through the month until I get my snap that we get because the groceries are very high.”
“The cost of living, and other utilities, and every piece of living is just expensive,” said Ellis. “I get that there are families who are probably way worse off, and they do need it, but there are also people who are working, and we still struggle. Struggle for milk and bread.”
Outreach Pastor of The Assembly Andy Setiawan said it is all about helping the community.
“It humbles us that we play a little part in solving the problem that people have nowadays,” said Setiawan. “We always say we are blessing people, but we are actually the ones getting blessed, and so that is why we do what we do.”
With a table lined up full of bags of groceries, and with people being able to walk away with boxes and bags full of free food, Ellis says this plays a huge role in helping families.
“It is the first of the year, so it is a lot harder for a lot of people,” said Ellis. “We just had Christmas, and That is also a struggle as well. We are trying to get through the beginning of the year of dealing with getting back on track.”
The pastor of the Assembly said he will continue to hold giveaways like this, to continue to help out those in need.
