{"id":20472,"date":"2019-01-15T13:37:51","date_gmt":"2019-01-15T17:37:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=20472"},"modified":"2021-01-17T14:17:07","modified_gmt":"2021-01-17T19:17:07","slug":"food-pantry-fills-gods-call-during-the-shutdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=20472","title":{"rendered":"Food Pantry Fills God&#8217;s Call During the Shutdown"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">The new year of 2019 opened in the midst of a Government Shutdown.\u00a0 Across the country, hundreds of Thousands of workers are on furlough.\u00a0 But you don&#8217;t have to look far to see the impact of this problem; it has hit our own community.\u00a0 Several furloughed workers are part of our PUMC family, and many others live in our town.\u00a0 These hard working people are scraping to make ends meet until their paychecks return.\u00a0 <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">The Pitman Food Pantry is as important during these times as ever. <br \/>\n<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<span style=\"color: #800000; font-size: 14pt;\">&#8220;How does God&#8217;s love abide in anyone who has worldly goods, sees a brother or sister in need, <br \/>\nand yet refuses to help?&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><span style=\"color: #800000;\">1 John 3:17<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u00a0The Pitman Pantry, an ecumenical ministry of five local churches, provides groceries to food insecure folks in the Pitman area. Most of these folks live in Pitman, but no one is ever turned away. The pantry is located at the First Baptist Church on Broadway.<\/p>\n<div class='et-box et-info'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class='et-box-content'><h4><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Pantry Facts for 2018\u00a0 <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright  wp-image-13945\" src=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Soup17-Pantry-BF-_-20170207_184115-_400x300-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"197\" height=\"148\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Soup17-Pantry-BF-_-20170207_184115-_400x300-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Soup17-Pantry-BF-_-20170207_184115-_400x300.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 197px) 100vw, 197px\" \/>\n<\/span><\/h4>\n<ul style=\"list-style-type: circle;\">\n<li><span style=\"color: #800000;\">Years of Operation = \u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> 17\u00a0 \n<\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #800000;\">Total Families served\u00a0 in 2018=<\/span> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">2084<\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #800000;\">Average # Families per Week =\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span> \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 <strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">45<\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #800000;\">Open during the Shut Down&#8230;<\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Recently, the pantry has been reaching out to furloughed federal government workers, offering to provide them with food during the government shut down.\u00a0 The government might be closed and people are at home, but the day to day needs continue.\u00a0 Each of the five church congregations continue to pull together to help families make ends meet during difficult times.\u00a0 People in these churches continually donate food, money, and volunteer time to the Pitman Pantry.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">The Pitman Pantry also continues to receive food from the Food Bank of South Jersey, which is a tremendous help. However, food items available from them varies greatly, so some basic food items such as cereal, jelly, and tuna must be purchased. The Pantry is also happy to receive donations of paper products, and personal care items, such as toothpaste, soap, and shampoo, which can not be purchased with food stamps! \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #800000;\">Based on a Caring Community&#8230;<\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">The Pitman Pantry is blessed to be located in a caring community. Many professional groups, schools, service organizations, our Boy Scout <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright  wp-image-16954\" src=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/BlastFall17-Pantry-_fb_5582970895174401167_n-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"248\" height=\"186\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/BlastFall17-Pantry-_fb_5582970895174401167_n-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/BlastFall17-Pantry-_fb_5582970895174401167_n.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 248px) 100vw, 248px\" \/>troops, and the Post Office, all continue to donate to the Pantry. We are grateful to our congregations, and to our community for their continuous support.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Many volunteers are required each week to inventory, order, shop, pack , and distribute food. The Pitman Pantry is blessed to have dedicated volunteers from each church congregation who give countless hours of their time to support this vital local ministry. They welcome each person with a smile, reflecting God&#8217;s love; and strive to give them any available food that they might want or need. Note that the Pitman Pantry is not heated or airconditioned.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">The volunteers of the Pitman Pantry thank each of you who have supported God&#8217;s work here in any way. We are truly blessed!<br \/>\nMost of all, we ask that you continue to pray for this local ecumenical ministry, that makes such a positive difference in the lives of our friends and neighbors in Pitman.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #800000;\">The Pantry is Here for Everyone!<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Jesus is our Good Shepherd; our God constantly watches over us&#8230;<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">GOD, my shepherd!\u00a0 I don&#8217;t need a thing. <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u00a0You have bedded me down in lush meadows,\u00a0 you find me quiet pools to drink from.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\">Psalm 23:1-2 (From The Message)<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\n<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">I will provide for them a land renowned for its crops, and they will no longer be victims of famine in the land or bear the scorn of the nations.\u00a0 Then they will know that I, the Lord their God, am with them and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, declares the Sovereign Lord.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">You my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, are people, and I am your God, declares the Sovereign Lord.'&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\">Ezekiel 34:29-31 (From the New International Version)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>God called us to share our resources&#8230; and our shortages.\u00a0 We&#8217;re wired for community and we all fill roles when we serve and when we need to be served.\u00a0 Most of this post has dealt with the &#8220;serving&#8221; side of things, but many of us find ourselves on the &#8220;need to be served&#8221; side.\u00a0 Nobody likes to be in need, but it is part of God&#8217;s community that we turn to Him and to our community when we are in those situations.<\/p>\n<div class='et-box et-bio'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class='et-box-content'><span style=\"color: #000000;\">If you find yourself in need of assistance, the Pitman Food Pantry is here for you.\u00a0 \u00a0If you are struggling to make ends meet, please come by; you&#8217;ll find a warm caring staff who would love to help out.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright  wp-image-4558\" src=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Pantry-Baptist-Church-_IMG_1174-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"219\" height=\"164\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Pantry-Baptist-Church-_IMG_1174-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Pantry-Baptist-Church-_IMG_1174.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 219px) 100vw, 219px\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #800000;\">WHERE:<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0 \nThe pantry is located in the back of the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.fbcpitman.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">First\u00a0Baptist Church<\/span><\/a> in Pitman.\u00a0 The church is located on North Broadway, just across the street from the post office.\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.fbcpitman.org\/contact.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Click\u00a0Here<\/a> for directions.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong><span style=\"color: #800000;\">WHEN:<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0 \n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Tuesdays, 6-7 PM\u00a0\u00a0 Wednesdays, 4-5 PM, and Thursdays, 12-1 PM<\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong><span style=\"color: #800000;\">HOW OFTEN:<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0 \n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">You can come once per week (ID required)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Further information about the <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.fbcpitman.org\/Food-Pantry.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pantry<\/a><\/span> is posted on the Baptist Church&#8217;s website.<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt; color: #008000;\">+\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>To read more about local missions:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <a href='https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?cat=15' class='small-button smallteal'><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Local Ministries<\/span><\/a> \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>During the current government shutdown, the Pitman Food Pantry continues to help families make ends meet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4557,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,55,182,208],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20472","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-evrpt","category-mission-aroundtowns","category-neighbors","category-pitman-food-pantry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20472","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=20472"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20472\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26571,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20472\/revisions\/26571"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4557"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=20472"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=20472"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=20472"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}