Table of Grace Seeks Community Support

Sometimes the one offering help needs help.

That is the challenge facing the Table of Grace Food Pantry.

Table of Grace, at 1125 Alvarado Road in Sidney, is facing a big challenge in a short amount of time. One of the organization’s most significant supporters is challenging the organization with a matching grant. Bell Lumber & Pole is offering Table of Grace a $15,000 challenge. Bell Lumber & Pole will match up to $15,000 raised by Table of Grace. The challenge is that Bell Lumber & Pole’s grants have provided a significant percent of the program’s funding.

A letter from Table of Grace says “currently, in Sidney alone, Table of Grace has 176 households registered.” Clients will need to bring identification, including photo ID, to take part in the program. Photo ID can include a personal Driver’s License, State ID, Passport, work ID, Housing Authority ID, or Tribal ID. Families also need a form of ID for other members of the family which may include a Social Security card, school ID, Medicaid card or letter or a birth certificate. Proof of address is also required. Proof of address can be mail from a government agency dated within the last 60 days, an utility bill dated within the last 60 days or a lease. Additionally, the Table of Grace policy require the program only serves residents of Cheyenne County. Table of Grace cannot accept handwritten letters as proof of identification or address.

To participate under the Department of Health and Human Services guidelines, a client with a household of one cannot have a monthly income of more than $1,782, $2,403 for a household of two, $3,024 for a household of three, and up to $4,887 for a household of six, and add $6234 per person above six.

The Table of Grace Mission Store is designed to help offset the costs of the Pantry. However, director Sherri Eads says the proceeds from the store do not always meet the expenses of the Pantry. She said they have had to fix air conditioning units, replace lights and ballasts, maintain four commercial refrigerators and freezers, and various other cold storage.

“There’s just a lot of upkeep,” Eads says.

Additionally, the program, which also helps neighboring communities, increasingly has to purchase food it gives to clients.

The deadline for donating to the matching grant is Dec. 10. To donate in support of the match, send checks to Table of Grace, 1444 Jackson St., Sidney, Neb., 69162. Mark the donation as “matching grant.” All donations are tax deductible.