Thirty years ago, Jennifer Grooms accessed the food bank at Inner City Home. Now she's the organization's executive director.
“I was a single mom, my partner had died suddenly, I had no rent, no money, the cupboards were empty,” she said.
“Walking up those stairs in front of the house Inner City Home on Elm Street, I was [ashamed], I was stressed, I was scared, I didn't know the process.”
Grooms said not only did she receive the help she needed at Inner City Home, she also was greeted with a warm welcome by the program's staff members.
Inner City Home not only runs two food banks — one downtown and the other in New Sudbury — but also provides free counselling services and self-development workshops.
Inner City Home gives food assistance to about 15,000 families per year. It goes through about $14,000 worth of food every month.
“Kids are going to bed hungry, kids are going to school with no lunches,” Grooms said. “Inner City Home is helping to fill that gap and helping to relieve some of that burden on some of those folks.”
Although the organization receives funding from United Way and the Sudbury Food Bank, it must still raise money for its programs.
And unfortunately, although it has been around for 33 years, Inner City Home is not well known in the community, Grooms said.
“It's come to a point where times are tough,” she said. “The agency just can't get by with the small donations that have been carrying them thus far.”
That's why Inner City Home is hoping to raise $30,000 for its food bank program through an upcoming event called Fast to Feed.
Participants are asked to collect pledges, and then fast from 11 a.m. on Oct. 18 to 11 a.m. Oct. 19.
Those who must eat regular meals for medical reasons should of course do so, Grooms said, but they could perhaps consider skipping extras such as cream in their coffee or a before-bed snack.
Then on Oct. 19 at 11 a.m., participants are asked to bring their pledges to the Steelworkers Hall and join Inner City Home for a pancake breakfast.
“We want people to feel hungry,” Grooms said. “That's the message we need to get out, there's some broken people in our community that are hungry, and really, how can we empathize if we don't get a taste of it?”
Pledge forms are available at the Fromagerie, Inner City Home (251 Elm St.), by phone at 705-675-7550 or by email at [email protected].
