Urban Mission offers holiday help
By DAVE GOSSETT, staff writerArticle Photos
STEUBENVILLE - The Rev. Bruce Hitchcock was walking through the Urban Mission warehouse Tuesday as some 60 volunteers were packing Thanksgiving food bags.
"I saw several people busy packing bags who I hadn't seen before. So I stopped and asked about 25 people why they came to work, and 23 of them said they came to help their neighbors, to give back to the community or because of their faith in Christ. That is what Thanksgiving is all about," said Hitchcock.
"The packing was finished in about an hour and a half, and we were ready for the people on Wednesday and Thursday.
"There were young, old, black, white and Hispanic people here working together. The youngest was in junior high and the oldest was an 83-year-old. You know, a lot of the people who are receiving aid here do help out as well," added Hitchcock.
Linda Smith of the Urban Mission said approximately 800 people lined up outside the Urban Mission warehouse Wednesday and another 200 people came Thursday.
"We also changed the way we are bringing people in this year to the tables, and it worked so much better," Smith noted.
"I have never seen that many people lined up to receive a Thanksgiving food bag. It was a sign of the economic times," Hitchcock said.
As the recipients filled the warehouse Thursday, Hitchcock asked everyone to take a moment to pray for the nation. Their was silence in the warehouse that was soon filled with a loud "Amen."
"It was pretty cold Wednesday, but we were crowded all day long. Most of the people were very patient, and I told them this was the truest American holiday. Everyone was pretty upbeat all day long," Hitchcock added.
"We had great assistance from the Steubenville High School Key Club as well as the Indian Creek High School Key Club members. They made our job a lot easier," Hitchcock noted.
"I think the people who came Thursday were a little more subdued. They were talking about their concerns about the future. They were grateful for the food and generally happy, but also concerned that this area and our country is in real trouble," said Hitchcock.
Hitchcock noted the Urban Mission will provide a regular monthly food distribution for Christmas.
"We will focus more on the kids next month. At this point I am concerned because we are expecting a total of 1,450 to 1,500 kids this year, and we are not seeing as many new toys donated this year as we saw last year. It is going to be a tight Christmas," predicted Hitchcock.
"Our cost comes with Santa's Recycle Shop where we take used toys and recondition them. If we don't receive enough donations, we will have to purchase toys, and that is where the cost comes in," explained Hitchcock.
"Last year was a pretty positive year.
"This year looks like it will be tough. I'm not sure how this will all end up. We still have 300 kids who haven't been sponsored yet, so we have a ways to go. We have found a Web site where we can buy toys at a reduced rate," he noted.
"I think there is still a very positive spirit in this community, but the dollars just aren't here right now," he said.
(Gossett can be contacted at dgossett@heraldstaronline.com.)
