Abundant Harvest is refocusing on feeding the hungry after recent financial factors caused a change in operations.
Director Lee Alderman announced the ministry’s clothing operations would shut down until further notice as part of a news release Monday, and he expanded on that during an interview on KVOE’s 7:05 am newscast Tuesday. Alderman says donations were down almost 20 percent from 2017 numbers, and recent changes in tax laws for deductions did not help the charity. In addition, expenses shot up last year as well.
Besides shutting down the clothing area for donations or pickup, Abundant Harvest had to lay off two part-time staffers and stop utility service.
Alderman says there were three to five trucks of clothing donations coming to Abundant Harvest a day. He encouraged a local church to take over the ministry if it was feasible.
Alderman says Abundant Harvest will re-focus on its core mission of feeding the hungry, in part through its longstanding evening meal program and in part through boxed meals in the morning.
Abundant Harvest is gearing up for its annual participation in the Feinstein Challenge, which helps to offset operating costs for much of the upcoming calendar year. The drive will take place in March and April.
For more information, call Alderman at 794-2977 or email emporiarescuemission@gmail.com. Mail financial donations to Box 901 in Emporia.
