Faith: Endwell UMC feeds increasing numbers of hungry
“I never remember it in Endwell,” said Dave Alexander, reflecting on the days when it was known as the “IBM community.”
“We didn’t have a lot of people who needed food. It’s just changed. The need is great, and we see it more and more every week," he said.
Alexander is the facilities manager for the Endwell United Methodist Church. He looks a bit tired a day after the weekly free meal. Prior to Mid-March, 50 people were welcomed into the church hall each Monday night for sit-down dinners. Since COVID-19, it’s only takeout, serving nearly 200 people a week.
“We see it more and more,” Alexander said. “We get so many young people coming, young couples come that are out of work, they don’t know what to do.
“Some of these people are really scared about what’s going on in the world right now. They don’t know what to think,” he said.
It takes members of the church about 30 total hours to prepare, pack and serve the food for those who walk up outside the building every Monday night. Each person is given a takeout container packed tightly with a dinner. Sometimes, Alexander said they try to serve anyone who arrives early.
There’s more than food, too. A girl from the congregation picks a Bible verse and prints a prayer card each week for every dinner box. Visitors are allowed to set up a meeting with the pastor if they wish. Literature from a variety of agencies, such as the Office for the Aging, the Health Department and Unemployment Office, are available.
Some church members and others bring meals to those who can’t get to the takeout.
Alexander said many are willing to help others now, including a woman who visited one week and picked up food.
“She said she really didn’t need the meals, but she knew seven or eight families that needed food,” he said. "She was wondering if we would give her the food so she could take it to them.”
Endwell UMC’s hall looks a bit like a warehouse now. They’ve also been packing non-perishable food for distribution. Last week, several neatly wrapped pallets were awaiting pickup. There were dozens of small boxes on each, packed with enough items for several meals for individual families in the Johnson City School District.
Alexander noted that they receive food from the Broome Bounty program of the Broome County Council of Churches and the Food Bank of the Southern Tier. Sometimes they need to supplement the weekly meal with food that’s purchased at Maines. Thanks to financial donations, including a recent gift from the Endwell Rotary Club, the church is able to continue feeding the hungry.
How to help
For more information on the Endwell United Methodist Church Monday night dinners and other food programs there contact:
Endwell United Methodist Church
3301 Watson Blvd.,
Endwell, NY 13760
607-754-5735
With all the church is doing, they’re trying to provide more. While it would be difficult to add another night of preparing meals, Alexander said they’re looking at a drive-through food distribution.
“We used to, every second Thursday of the month, do a food giveaway, and we’d serve 300 families,” he said. “We did our thing inside, and we’re air-conditioned. We handed out the food and people came inside.”
But that’s not possible for now. Alexander said they’ll get some tips from a big food giveaway planned for later this month in another part of the county.
Social distancing has limited many things. But Alexander believes that’s led to an increase in being there for neighbors in need.
“I see more people stepping up and sharing their faith. Helping others (more) than we ever had in our community,” Alexander said. “I feel good about it, and everybody who works here feels good about it.”
“This whole pandemic has brought in some cases people closer, maybe closer to God and faith,” he added. “You become more reassured in your faith if you’re a believer and you see that people are willing to help others. That makes a big difference.”