6-26-13 —   For many individuals and families who live on a fixed income, it can sometimes be difficult to make ends meet. Although everyone has to deal with unexpected expenses and increases in the cost of food, gas and other items people use day to day, these challenges can force those who live on a tight budget to make some very difficult decisions. Some individuals who live on tight budgets or fixed incomes often find themselves having to decide between buying food or their medication.

    Others may be forced to cut back on groceries so they will have the money they need to pay all their utilities. All too often, many people go hungry because they just do not have enough money to make ends meet. However, that is no longer the case for residents of Monticello and Wayne County.

    Now, thanks to the efforts of two new ministries, local residents will have two opportunities each week to receive a free meal.

    Wayne County Feeding the Hungry and Manna Ministries are two new ministries that are currently providing meals twice a week to those individuals who need them. Volunteers with the Wayne County Feeding the Hungry ministry serve meals at 11:30 a.m. each Monday while volunteers with Manna Ministries serve meals at 12 noon each Thursday.

    Both groups serve the meals at Monticello-Wayne County Park. All meals are offered free of charge.

    Although both ministries have only recently started serving meals, plans for the feeding program have been underway for about a year, according to spokespersons for each of the groups.

    Even though several people had the desire to start a feeding program to help meet the need of those going hungry in this community, there were no funds or a facility available for such a program. However, the dream of starting a feeding ministry in this community did not die and people continued to think of ways they could turn the dream into a reality.

    Then, former Wayne County residents Ray and Jeanette Vater visited Hawaii on vacation. While in Hawaii, the Vaters visited a church and volunteered to help when the congregation sponsored a feeding program. When the couple returned home from Hawaii, they told other about the ministry and recommended the website signupgenius.com that would help organize the volunteer efforts.

    Members of Steubenville Baptist Church, where the Vaters attended church, decided to check out the website and see if enough people would volunteer for a local ministry that would serve meals to those who needed them. With several people interested, some of the people in the congregation decided to start the process of organizing a  

feeding ministry.         A volunteer agreed to check out the website  

recommended by the Vaters and within two weeks, she had learned how to navigate the site and asked members of the congregation if they would be interested in volunteering.

    The Vaters were asked to give a presentation about the feeding the hungry ministry, as well as other ministries of the church they visited. Several individuals who were interested in starting a ministry to help feed the hungry in our community attended the presentation.

    Eventually, two ministries evolved to help fill the gap for those in this county who may not have enough to eat.

    Wayne County Feeding the Hungry consists of volunteers from various churches and businesses. The group provides meals at the park at lunchtime each Monday.

    Manna Ministries is a ministry of Steubenville Baptist Church and volunteers with this group provide lunch at the park each Thursday.

Each group is still in its first month of the ministry, as Manna Ministries fed people for the first time on May 30, while Wayne County Feeding the Hungry served its first meals on June 3.

    The ministries offer a rotating schedule for the menus, which may include hot dogs one week and sloppy joes the next week. Other menus that may be served include: spaghetti, chicken and rice, and pinto beans and cornbread.

    Although volunteers have formed two separate ministries, coordinators for both groups work together to plan the menus each week and strive to expand the feeding ministry in this community.

    The ultimate goals for both groups are to have enough volunteers to be able to provide meals each day of the week and to have a facility where they can serve meals year-round.

    Anyone who would like more information about these ministries, or who would like to volunteer or give a donation of food or money, may call (606) 340-3216 (Wayne County Feeding the Hungry) or (606)

307-4625 (Manna Ministries).