EARLVILLE – Recently, more and more families are relying on assistance from charities to make ends meet. But every once in a while, those charities need a little help from their friends in return.
The Earlville Food Cupboard has been a longtime local lifeline to many in the community, offering whatever assistance it has at its disposal to those suffering from hunger.
Not so long ago, organizers at the Earlville Food Cupboard—located in the basement of the Village of Earlville Baptist Church at 9 W. Main St. — registered in a competitive grant through the Wal-Mart corporation that would reward the charity with $20,000 to be used at the discretion the Food Cupboard's administrators.
“We received notice of the grant program from the Food Bank of Central New York and were urged to apply for funding,” said Thuvia Stopford, Director of the Earlville Food Cupboard. “We applied in early November and were just recently notified that we had been selected as finalists of the reward.”
In order for the grant to be secured, community involvement is crucial, according to Stopford. The final stage of the granting allocation comes by way of an online poll where the general population cast their vote for charities competing for the funding.
Stopford indicates that the “Holiday Makeover” grant can be used for a variety of things such as updating facilities, infrastructure upgrades, and placing food on the shelves of the Food Cupboard if awarded.
When asked how much impact the Earlville Food Cupboard has on the community, Stopford easily recounts the figures she’s familiar with.
The Food Cupboard averages between 50 and 200 families per month, typically receiving goods twice per month, according to Stopford. “Of those families, about 20-25 of them are larger families of five or more on a regular basis,” she said.
Additional funding from the Chenango United Way, private donors such as the Earlville Baptist Church and the Food Bank of Central New York, also keep the Earlville Food Panty's doors open throughout the year; but Stopford said an opportunity of this magnitude would give the Food Cupboard a substantial boost in keeping its mission of community service on track.
“We see new families signing up to receive our assistance nearly every week,” she said.
Community members looking to support the effort can cast their votes once per day from Dec. 2 through Dec. 12 by visiting walmart.com/wm8.walmart.com/holidaymakeover.
Stopford said, “We are one of 150 finalist in competition for this grant, and we're very much relying on the community for their support. This would have a huge impact on our operations at the Food Cupboard.”