SWEDESBORO — 2017 has been a challenging year. With ever increasing requests for financial help, Kings’s Things’ finds its treasury stressed.
Sales and donations have increased nicely, however the financial aid to the needy has increased over 30 percent.
The line between helping and enabling sometime is hard to define. After receiving an application for financial aide, they do diligence in researching an applicant’s payment history, frequency of applying for aide and the ability to sustain their life style. At times they decline aide.
Another factor is lack of food available from the food bank of South Jersey. King’s Things in normal times can buy the needed foods from the food bank at 22 and a 1/2 cents per pound. This year very little was available.
In order to provide a balanced assortment of foods the pantry staff has made a tremendous amount of trips to grocery stores. Thus increasing the cost of a feeding a family.
Ninety percent of their income is derived from what is sold in the thrift or furniture stores. Joe Denney, treasure, and Carl Rainear, pantry manager, have preformed marvelously. The volunteers have done all that one could ask.
If an increase of the direct support would take place the Thanksgiving and Christmas programs would be much more stable. Please drop off any donations to Kings’s Things.
