Problems of poverty don’t end with a roof over your head
‘Even if you have a house, you have needs’
LEWES — When Cheryl Wood and her spouse retired to Sussex County more than two decades ago, she didn’t intend on becoming the lynch pin of several programs aimed at helping the homeless …
You must be a member to read this story.
Join our family of readers for as little as $5 per month and support local, unbiased journalism.
Already a member? Log in to continue. Otherwise, follow the link below to join.
Please log in to continue |
Problems of poverty don’t end with a roof over your head
‘Even if you have a house, you have needs’
By LEWES — When Cheryl Wood and her spouse retired to Sussex County more than two decades ago, she didn’t intend on becoming the lynch pin of several programs aimed at helping the homeless and feeding the hungry.
She said she didn’t really intend on retiring, and ended up reentering the workforce as a chef in several local eateries. One day, she was asked to pick up some leftovers from a national chain of convenience stores for delivery to local low-income housing developments.
One time turned into three, and eventually three times a week turned into five. During the pandemic, she said, efforts she had a hand in, such as Feeding the Flock at Conley’s United Methodist Church in Lewes and several others, were putting out 120 meals, twice per week, to people in Sussex County.
After lockdown ended, both the number of volunteers and the target audience shrunk, but service levels are rebounding, she said.
Mrs. Wood didn’t describe many of the efforts she was involved in as formal, they were more of an impromptu delivery service, but ones where the recipients didn’t have to place an order beforehand.
“Even people with houses have needs,” Mrs. Wood said. “There’s a sense of hopelessness most have because they can’t see a way out. There’s a real lack of affordable housing when even two people together can’t afford to buy; they can’t afford to rent.”
She said the problem with affordable housing in Sussex County is a lot like the first consideration for opening a new business: location, location, location.
“The neighbors can be so horrible,” Mrs. Wood said of the phenomenon known as NIMBYism, or “not in my backyard.”
While generally supportive of a mission’s goals — feeding the hungry, housing the homeless or lending assistance to those with addictions, places to locate such efforts can be hard to find.
“A little tolerance would be a good thing,” Mrs. Wood said. “But this part of Delaware used to be a simpler life. People can’t afford to be farmers anymore. I’m sitting in my comfortable house now. But there are very few boundaries preventing me from being in poverty tomorrow.”
She explained the homeless population in Sussex County she’s interacted with comes from largely the same places they do in the national news stories — places of addiction or poor mental health or a payment due from poor physical health.
“When you see our ZIP codes, you see growth and affluence. You try to talk to the politicians about how people get $75-100 worth of food stamps per month, or are bringing in $250-350 per week all told,” Mrs. Wood explains.
To fill in the gaps, to buy the things food stamps won’t or the things $250 per week can’t, Mrs. Wood said there are other options. But she hopes people turn to efforts like Feeding the Flock first.
“These programs are all related, and we all have different resources and can provide different services,” Mrs. Wood explained.
While they may not be able to meet every need, a shower, a hot meal and a place to do some laundry can usually be found.
“Our goal is to help people achieve stability. Sometimes there’s not much to do but be supportive and offer what we can,” she said.
For further information on Feeding the Flock, call the church office at 302-945-1881 or e-mail ConleysUMC@gmail.com.
