Operation Attack is still serving our community because of your love and support. Thank you for not forgetting us. We hope you are all well, safe and cool.
It is hard to believe that it has been a year since we moved indoors to distribute food in a Choice Pantry!!! We are averaging 40 families (2-8 people per family) every Thursday from 4:30-6:30. Most of the time our shelves and freezers are bare when we close our doors each week. Any excess produce and perishables continue to be given to COSA/PAR, Enoch Davis Community Center, Little Food Pantries, Celebration Outreach, and Children’s Programs at Trinity Presbyterian Church.
We are still blessed to have a wonderful relationship with the SaveAlot in Gulfport. The butcher works tirelessly to help us purchase meat for $2 a pound or less each week!!! We are still very fortunate to have Rev. Phil Miller Evans pick up food from the SPFC Jared Community Food Bank every Thursday morning. His trailer comes to OA loaded down with meat, produce, nonperishables, dairy products, hygiene items, bread and more. Our friend, Karin, continues to come by to get food for meals she prepares for the homeless people in our community. Thanks to Karin our clients are also enjoying the bread we get from Trader Joe’s sometimes. Kids from the summer camp at Trinity PC are doing community service at OA every Thursday morning. They help set up the food like a grocery store for the 4:30 food distribution. I have great fun working with them!!! For the last month we have tried buying groceries from Kroger. We are getting good products, prices, and customer service. Thanks to three volunteers we delivered food to two people who didn’t have transportation or were disabled recently. We are assisting with PAST DUE electric bills each month.
We continue to make progress with our distribution of baby and toddler clothing and diapers/wipes. Currently we give out diapers and wipes during the food distribution on Thursdays. People are becoming more and more aware of OA. Insurance companies are giving our name to their customers who need food. Doctor’s offices and agencies are sharing our contact info for baby items. Other helping agencies are asking us to give people information about free food for kids over the summer, free school supplies and Christmas gifts. Our FACELIFT is almost done thanks to volunteers from Circle of Faith and Lakeview Presbyterian Church. We have new coats of paint on our walls. Our new floor got damaged when a water pipe burst; but it is fixable. Then all we have to do is the baseboards. It is still a HUGE improvement and we are able to serve people.
Thank you for your faithfulness to Operation Attack.
Peace and Blessings
Diane Klamer/Lead Volunteer
Lakewood United Church of Christ 