Helping Hands -- Atonement's food pantry

Drive through Wesley Chapel on State Road 54 any Wednesday morning and you may wonder what so many people are doing lined up outside the big white building. By 8:30am there is already a long line waiting for the doors to open at 10am. They are there to receive food, a little friendly conversation, and much more. Every Wed. from 10am-2pm we pass out a 2-day’s supply of food to each family. In March of 2010, Helping Hands distributed over 30,300 pounds of food to over 850 families consisting of 2951 individuals.

Helping Hands Pantry began distributing food weekly in March of 2009. Though it is held in a local church it is truly the community’s pantry, supported by over 200 individual volunteers as well as stores such as Sweetbay, Bagelicious, and Walgreens. Academy of the Lakes has designated us the official charity of their Giraffe Club. We have benefited from food drives from local subdivisions such as Saddlebrook and Bridgewater, and from organizations like the Boy Scouts. In October of 2009 we became the local distribution point for USDA foods. This has helped tremendously meet the growing needs.

Keeping this all-volunteer program going is a big undertaking. It requires picking up food on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, setting up the tables and filling bags on Tuesday with the passing out of foods on Wednesday. The volunteers come from everywhere. They are not only adults who have the time to volunteer and want to give back to the community, but youth from groups like the Honor Society of Wesley Chapel High School, youth obtaining hours for community service, and recipients themselves who want to come back and show thanks for the help they’ve received.

Not only do we give assistance in supplying food, but we now have clothes, toiletries and occasionally baby and pet items as well. Special donations allowed us to register over 300 children who received Christmas presents, and gift bags were distributed on Easter and Mother’s Day. We find it just as important to befriend and encourage people as it is to pass out food, so we try to help any way we can. We are often able to direct people to other local agencies and resources that can help with their specific needs.

It is with the help of people like you that we continue to serve these needs in our community. With the current economy, we see those needs increasing weekly. Please do what you can to help us keep up with the demands and purchase the basic food (peanut butter, spaghetti, etc.) and personal items (tooth brushes, toilet paper, soaps, etc.) that are not provided by USDA. Helping Hands operates entirely on donations, and you can be assured that all donations are used exclusively for the pantry.

Many recipients themselves tell how they found encouragement to carry on through the help they found here. One lady whose husband deserted her and their infant child told us this food pantry saved their lives. Others have found jobs, friends, and hope for the future through the relationships they built here. There are so many stories to tell, but don’t take our word for it – stop by on a Wednesday morning and see all the people being served, watch the hard-working volunteers and you’ll catch a glimpse of why this is such an important and effective outreach.