Raffle offers $200 of beef, chance to help Bread Shed feed families

A fundraising event designed to beef up the Bread Shed’s budget and fill five donors’ freezers with meat will take place Dec. 21.

Those buying a $10 ticket will receive a chance to win one of five packages of beef, each valued at $200, as well as helping with the program’s budget.

The beef is donated by Mike Legrand of Legrand Feed and Serra McCabe of Greener Pastures Angus. Each package also will include a Boston butt provided by John 3:16 Ministries.

Tickets may be purchased at Rob’s Flowers, Jen’s Diner and the Daily American Republic newspaper, through Bread Shed board members or by using PayPal.

The Bread Shed, located at 203 North D St., offers a variety of services and resources to area residents.

During September, Bread Shed volunteers gave away nearly 25,000 diapers, 50,000 pounds of food and served hot meals to those in need. The food and meal efforts are a long-term continuing effort to make sure no one goes hungry.

The diaper distribution is held on the second Thursday of each month, said the Bread Shed Board Member Jim Ward. The diapers are purchased by the Bread Shed at a discounted rate.

“We hand out 50 diapers per child for basically anybody that comes in,” Ward explained. “ … We usually have some donations from different places,” which allows for other items, such as wipes, to be given.

One month, Ward said, the group gave out produce, milk, baby cereal and a “new mother’s packet,” donated by Walgreens. It contained items such as children’s shampoo and pacifiers.

Ward said, “every time they have milk available (at the SEMO Food Bank) … if we can get it, let’s give it out.”

Initially, Ward said, volunteers expected to serve 50 children each month.

“Our very first month, we had 145 … it just keeps growing and growing,” with 495 receiving diapers in September, said Ward. “That was 24,750 diapers. That is a lot of diapers. … If they can save 40 bucks on diapers, that’s $40 they can spend on food.”

So far, Ward said, the events have not run out of diapers.

Nearly, “every Friday since May, we gave out produce boxes,” said Ward, who indicated they call the giveaway “Farmers for Families on Fridays.”

Four hundred boxes, each weighing 30-pound, initially were being given away, but that number grew to 600 boxes and then to 800 in August, he said.

“I had to increase the food boxes because we were having over 600 cars show up,” Ward explained. “ … We were having to turn people away,” but only “just one week.”

Although initially distributed through Chartwells on the Poplar Bluff Middle School parking lot, the boxes are now being distributed at the First Church of God on Business 67.

On the second Friday of September, Ward said, 24,000 pounds of fruit and vegetables were given away as part of the free Farmers for Families federal program.

The Bread Shed also bought an additional 12,000 pounds of food — chicken, milk, cheese and potatoes — from the Food Bank, said Ward.

“We give it all out at the same time as the people drive through” said Ward, who indicated it takes a lot of volunteers helping on distribution day.

These new projects had been added to the program, which have been underway for several years

The second Saturday of the month for the past 10 years, a food distribution has been held at the Bread Shed’s building, Ward said.

“We gave out right at 11,000 pounds of food in our normal distribution,” Ward explained. “That is routine, and we had over 300 people.”

Each Sunday volunteers cook a hot meal for the public. Ward said, “ … We started out serving like 40 people” 10 years ago.

The Bread Shed, Ward said, has not stopped any of its services, but “added to and increased” what is being done.

The Bread Shed always is looking for volunteers and donations to keep helping others.

The program, Ward said, is “a way for us to bring hope and encouragement and share Jesus. The food is not what we do … the food is just the vehicle we use to try to reach our neighbors.”

More information about the organization can be found on its website, www.breadshed.org, or its Facebook page, where announcements about upcoming distribution events are shared.