Pandemic impacts parish outreach

The COVID-19 pandemic has spurred a serious spike in demand at a Mandan food bank and community outreach program.

The use of services offered by the Mother Teresa Outreach at Spirit of Life Church has nearly tripled in most categories according to June 2020 data compiled by the mission.

The outreach served 1,677 households, said Sr. Mary Michael, faith formation director, who adds many new people are seeking help. “There are so many ‘first-time’ people,” she noted.

In June, the outreach program distributed food to about 956 adults, 824 children and 194 senior citizens, Sr. Mary Michael said.

More help needed

“A lot of people have had to use our resources who have never been to a food bank before. Maybe, because of layoffs, job interruptions or the businesses were just shut down. A lot of those people are looking for additional resources to try to bridge until they either find another job or they go back to their original employer,” said Cheryl Hansen, business and finance manager for the Spirit of Life Parish, who also oversees the church’s outreach program. 

Migrant farm workers and the homeless are also among those in need, said Sr. Mary Michael.

The mission provided 2,859 daily meals in June. “A year ago, that would have been a thousand something,” Sr. Mary Michael said. “These are daily lunch bags.”

Hansen estimates the outreach was previously serving about 70 people per day, but that has jumped to 300 daily.

“It’s the same thing for poundage of food. … On a normal month, we used to provide 35,000 to 40,000 per month. Now, we are up to 75,000. In the last month, that has probably gone higher. I haven’t determined July yet. June went up,” Hanson said.

Despite help from Great Plains Food Bank, area restaurants, businesses and generous parishioners, the pandemic has spurred a much higher demand from the mission’s resources.

“We need!” Sr. Mary Michael said. “We need more household items, cleaners, beds, mattresses, pillows, furniture, tables. We need more for cleaning, for showering, shampoo, soap, conditioner, toilet paper. We gave it because they couldn’t find anything from the stores. That was an essential item. We also need more canned food, fruits, nuts.”

The mission has the means to store frozen meats, produce, fresh garden vegetables, dairy products and cheese and these donations are welcome to the outreach program.
Sister Mary Michael is quick to thank parishioners, the community and businesses for what they can do. Other donations come from local parishes in the area, she said.

Safety practices

The spike in demand is complicated with necessary safety practices to guard against COVID-19 at the church and gathering spaces. Large gatherings for meals, food distribution and most mission programs have been tabled indefinitely.

“Because of COVID, we have certain arrangements: social distancing, using the hand sanitizers and cleaning everything often,” Sister said.

Meal and food distribution also changed to discourage close contact among patrons. The weekly soup kitchen has been suspended since the lockdown started mid-March. Daily hot meals once offered throughout the week have been replaced with cold sandwiches. Soup may be added to sandwich packs later when cold weather returns, said staff.

“They come, grab and go. We pack the sandwich, cookies, banana depending upon how many they need,” said Sister Mary Michael.

Spiritual food

Despite extra restrictions and protocols, the organizers of the Mother Teresa Outreach have not lapsed in the spiritual mission. Sister Mary Michael still prays with people as she finds them the goods from the food pantry. Counseling is still done one-on-one and morning prayer services continue weekdays at a safe distance inside the church.

“I find what is their need, what we have and what I can do, I do,” she explained.

Sr. Mary Michael distributes multiple prayer leaflets, Bibles, rosaries and even masks sewn by parishioners as well to keep up morale.

“The sisters do a great job of letting the people be heard if they need to talk, pray with them. That’s a real important part of outreach. It’s not just food for the body. It’s spiritual food as well,” Hansen said.

Technology helps

Longer-term food supplies apart from the sandwich packs have been expedited by a new software and card system for clients. It was launched in early 2020 before the pandemic loomed.

Regulars and newcomers fill out a form detailing the needs of their household, home occupants and ages. They are then issued a scanner card and given the right amount of supplies to support them. Dry, imperishable foods are prepacked according to family/household need. Additional items like frozen, produce and other available items are added accordingly upon pickup day.

She added, “We give 200 to 300 lunch packs a day. If there are 10 people in their household, they grab 10. If there are five, they grab five. Homeless people may take enough for their lunch and dinner.”

While they wait for their completed box, those receiving donations mill around the donated clothing and furniture items available, said Sister Mary Michael.

Sister Mary Michael makes it her business to get to know the people getting help. They are much more than a number to her

“Since I handle registration, I know how many members are in their house. One family has nine children, one adult and two senior citizens. One box is not enough. I will tell them to give two boxes. Then, we add more vegetables and fruit and meat,” Sr.  Mary Michael said.

A box might include 40 to 50 pounds, depending on what is available, she explained

Funding donations also can be leveraged a long way to fill more gaps in supplies, said Hansen. She credits the church outreach office for fielding financial donations, ordering food from the Great Plains Food Bank and coordinating donations from local grocery stores, big box stores and surplus from restaurants, leaving the sisters time to tend to people in need.

Volunteers welcome

With more demand for mission services, comes more work packing and loading. The volunteers have proven even more essential to the cause and more are welcome, said Sister. In June, there were 14 volunteers who logged 179 hours, beyond the work the four Carmelite sisters do at the outreach. A University of Mary student group was among those who provided extra assistance recently.

Modern miracle

Sr. Mary Michael likens the outreach mission to popular scripture.

“Jesus was very compassionate and gave the multitudes food,” she said. “That was 5,000 men, not including women and children. Then, you see how many were there, how many who lacked.”

She said in the same way, the mission provides care of people. “That is a miracle,” she said.

In the past six years, Sister Mary Michael said she has gotten to know the clients by name and they have grown close. “That makes me so happy. As Jesus said, ‘my sheep I know. I call them by name and they know mine.’”

Grateful for help

A few people who utilize the services provided by the outreach program attest to the need and are grateful for the help.

Harlan Feist has been utilizing mission services at least two years for his household of three, including a son. Among the services is a regular food basket. “It’s been great. I just get disability. So, it’s not really a lot of money. “It’s food and clothing, dental work.”

Ida Rivera uses the food bank for food, groceries and clothing about once per month. Hurricane Maria caused hard times for her and she lost three family members in Puerto Rico. “I get food services. I love the people here.”

Janelys Correa has used mission services for the past four years. Help is necessary with three children and most of her husband’s income going to house payments alone. She is a homemaker and does not qualify for food stamps. Every two weeks, she collects a food box from the mission. “It helps us get stuff we need,” she said.

She added that her family had stopped coming to the food pantry because of the COVID-19 outbreak for about three months.

“We were scared about being safe. We just came here to get food and get back home.”

Hansen said the COVID-19 pandemic has definitely impacted ordinary people who do not usually rely on food bank services. That has factored into the increased demand at the mission.

People may help the outreach via donations, and praying for the program and the mission sisters, she said. “Financially, they can support us. We take donations of certain kinds of clothing, depending on season, and furniture.”

“Those who show mercy will receive double. God provides,” Sr. Mary Michael added.