RELIEF AGENCIES POOL EFFORT TO CREATE FREE GROCERY FOR VICTIMS

Area relief organizations have pooled their efforts to create a "grocery store" where people don't need money to take home plenty of food for their families.

In the old IGA building at 80 Plaza Way, aisle after makeshift aisle stands stocked with food, clothing and cleaning supplies to be distributed to flood victims.

The food distribution center is the result of the combined efforts of the Salvation Army, the American Red Cross, FISH, Church World Services and the East Missouri Action Agency.

"We decided that we should have some sort of unified effort for food distribution," said Gil Degenhardt, coordinator of the project. "We started out with the initial food and supplies collected at the (KFVS12) Heartland Cares telethon then we started getting in contributions from all over the country."

Use of the building was donated by its owners on July 27; the center was opened three days later.

Since then, the distribution center has served more than 300 families and distributed more than $25,000 worth of food and supplies.

"We have people coming in from all over Ste. Genevieve, Commerce, Dutchtown; from all over Southern Illinois," Degenhardt said. "The flood has moved people around; they're living with family and friends sometimes 15 to 18 in one house."

To receive food, clothing or cleaning supplies from the center, flood victims need to register at the Grace Methodist Church or the Red Cross headquarters at 1219 N. Kingshighway. Persons qualifying for assistance are given referral slips which they can take to the distribution center.

"When people come to the center, we give them enough food for their families for five days to a week," said Degenhardt. "It all depends on what we've got at the time."

And what the center has to offer depends wholly on the contributions they receive.

"For now, we're not taking any more donations of furniture or clothing," Degenhardt said. "We're going to see how far we can get with the clothes and furniture we've received so far."

Small contributions by individuals of a few bags of groceries or cleaning supplies are welcome, but corporations or businesses donating truckloads of goods are asked to call ahead. Degenhardt said that sufficient volunteers need be on hand to unload, sort and disseminate the goods.

About 20 volunteers per day have worked at the center, organizing donations and filling "orders" for supplies.

"When flood victims come in, they can't go up and down the aisles and pick things out themselves," Degenhardt said. "Volunteers will fill the orders with a variety of goods for the flood victims and bring it to them at the front of the store."

Degenhardt said canned meats like beef stew, chicken and dumplings, Spam and canned ham are needed most.

People wishing to donate goods also should consider pasta, spaghetti sauce, canned tomatoes, granulated sugar, flour, cereal, cooking oil and vegetable shortening.

For sorting purposes, bringing several cans of a single kind of item is preferable to an assortment of goods, Degenhardt said.

"We have a lot of corn, green beans, peas and pork and beans right now. But those things go real fast and we can never get too much."

One thing that people are discouraged from bringing is perishable items. Although the building is donated, the center does not have refrigeration devices appropriate for storing perishable foods.

"We had a truck come in full of tomatoes that we had to turn away," Degenhardt said. "We hated to do that, but we couldn't guarantee that we could get rid of all the tomatoes before they went bad."

When the center does have fresh produce from area farms, they leave it out front. Flood victims can add it to the canned goods and cleaning supplies.

The center also needs paper goods like toilet paper and paper towels, as well as personal hygiene items such as toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap and shampoo.

Degenhardt said the center has not yet distributed a great deal of cleaning supplies, but expects an greatly increased demand as the floodwaters begin to recede. Mops, sponges, buckets, cleaning solvents and scrub brushes are needed.

The center also takes monetary donations. Degenhardt asks that the money be brought to the center and that checks be made payable to the "Heartland Cares Food Distribution Center."

Money will be spent on things that the center is running short of, he said.

"We're a rough and tumble version of a supermarket," Degenhardt said. "We're just trying to help these people through a rough time."

The center is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday.

For more information, to schedule a drop-off time for large loads of goods or to volunteer, call 339-1248.