Holiday campaign boosted by $20,000 match
By MARK MILLER
The Wells County Food Bank has had kind of a “double-whammy” this year.
“Between inflation and a mysterious drop in donations so far this year,” said Mick Cupp, who has handled the financial end of the food bank since at least 1985, “this year’s holiday campaign is more important than it’s been for many years.”
Meanwhile, the number of families who have come to the agency on South Main Street has seen a significant increase in the past month or so.
“We don’t know why,” shared Connie Kaehr, who has overseen the troop of volunteers. The food bank had been averaging about 150 families per month until that number ballooned to more than 200 this month.
Thus, the two agreed, the continued matching challenge grant of $20,000 for donations made between now and Christmas answers another prayer.
“I don’t want to be an alarmist, and I don’t want to use the word ‘critical,’” Cupp continued, “but we’re hoping and praying that the community will come through again. They always have.”
This will be the 38th consecutive year that an anonymous local donor has come through with a matching grant offer. For years, it had been a $10,000 challenge and had fluctuated between the two amounts for a few years.
There had been no lack of concern when that donor passed away a few years ago. However, another person has since stepped up to fill that void.
“You know, that has happened several times,” Kaehr told a group of Bluffton Rotary Club members who had come to tour the facilities Tuesday.
She shared two instances when a major source of food donations had dried up, only to have another option come along.
“We’ve been blessed in so many ways,” she said. That includes, she quickly added, the host of volunteers who make the food bank possible.
Cupp agreed, noting that the community has met that match every year. “We are blessed,” Cupp added. “We have practically zero operating expenses.”
With the building and the utilities on South Main Street donated along with all the labor to keep the operation functioning, the only expense besides buying groceries is the liability insurance.
“I think it figures out to about 0.002 percent,” Cupp said.
And it’s the grocery expenses that have driven up the costs. While many grocery items and clothing items are donated by local individuals, churches and schools, the food bank must purchase the bulk of what they give away.
“We used to spend maybe three of four thousand dollars per month on buying what we need,” Kaehr explained. “Now it’s not unusual for that monthly bill to top $6,000.”
The purchases are made primarily from Kroger and Troyer’s market in Berne, both of which “give us very nice discounts,” Cupp said.
“We continue to see some new faces each week,” Kaehr noted, “And there are families who stop coming and that’s a good thing because we figure they don’t need our help any more.”
Clients must have a referral from the welfare office in order to receive food and clothing items, Kaehr said.
While the food bank began more than 40 years ago, first located in a downtown building, Cupp and his wife Connie became involved in 1985 and Kaehr has been involved for more than 20 years, “we don’t recall any year quite like this one,” Cupp said.
In addition to the holiday fund drive, the food bank is dependent on donations that come in throughout the year. It is “about a 50 percent drop” in what they’ve received so far this calendar year that has Cupp concerned. That does not make either Cupp or Kaehr become discouraged, however.
“We have such a wonderful crew,” Kaehr said, “and this community comes through every year.”
“We are so thankful for what we get,” she continued. “The schools, the churches — it’s pretty amazing.”
Donations can be sent to the Wells County Food Bank, P.O. Box 186, Bluffton IN 46714. The food bank is located at 1254 S. Main St. in Bluffton.
miller@news-banner.com
