wausaudailyherald.com
May 11, 2008
Everyone served, no exceptions.
That's the simple policy and philosophy at The Neighbors' Place food pantry, as summed up by Seang Lee Kim, a senior aide and volunteer called "Mr. Lee" by everyone who knows him.
It took some time before I could actually speak with Mr. Lee, however. He was busy helping a long line of pantry customers, leaving plenty of time to stand and observe all the activity going on around me at an organized yet hectic pace.
Clients stood calmly and quietly at the doorway of the food pantry, waiting their turn. I was there at 4 p.m. on a Wednesday, one of the busiest times to distribute food. While I took in the scenery, I counted at least 60 people getting food and assistance.
They represented many races and backgrounds. They ranged from the young to the elderly, from people with medical problems to those stopping for food between their first and second jobs of the day. There were parents with children along and some who went about their business, quiet and alone.
I met Deborah Roehr, who is a grandmother and Wausau homemaker who had stopped at the pantry for milk and food.
"It's got everything," she said of the pantry, "quality food and the service is good, too."
One by one, the people went to a desk, where they showed indentification and were asked their telephone numbers, income and how many children in their family and ages.
They can visit the pantry once every three weeks, and signs around the distribution area remind them of the rules: "6 items per family, one meat only per family, one boxed meal per family, one cereal per family and five-minute time limit."
Food distribution ran like a smooth machine. Visitors put the food in shopping carts, and volunteers -- including people on the W-2 public assistance program, county jail inmates, high school students and other community members -- took the food in the carts to the cars.
When at last I spoke with Mr. Lee, he told me he came to the United States on Feb. 3, 1981, and first arrived in California. He is from Cambodia and left because of the communist regime. Before he came to the United States, he was in a refugee camp in Bangkok, Thailand, for three years waiting for his four children.
But after he passed tests and completed interviews with refugee redistribution agencies, he had no choice but to leave by himself.
Asked what he likes about his work at the food pantry, Mr. Lee replied, "I like to talk to people and to help people." As for the type of people who use the food pantry, he said, "All kinds of people -- everyone served, no exceptions."
Melissa Cunningham-Campbell of Wausau is a member of The Neighbors' Place board of directors.
May 11, 2008
Everyone served, no exceptions.
That's the simple policy and philosophy at The Neighbors' Place food pantry, as summed up by Seang Lee Kim, a senior aide and volunteer called "Mr. Lee" by everyone who knows him.
It took some time before I could actually speak with Mr. Lee, however. He was busy helping a long line of pantry customers, leaving plenty of time to stand and observe all the activity going on around me at an organized yet hectic pace.
Clients stood calmly and quietly at the doorway of the food pantry, waiting their turn. I was there at 4 p.m. on a Wednesday, one of the busiest times to distribute food. While I took in the scenery, I counted at least 60 people getting food and assistance.
They represented many races and backgrounds. They ranged from the young to the elderly, from people with medical problems to those stopping for food between their first and second jobs of the day. There were parents with children along and some who went about their business, quiet and alone.
I met Deborah Roehr, who is a grandmother and Wausau homemaker who had stopped at the pantry for milk and food.
"It's got everything," she said of the pantry, "quality food and the service is good, too."
One by one, the people went to a desk, where they showed indentification and were asked their telephone numbers, income and how many children in their family and ages.
They can visit the pantry once every three weeks, and signs around the distribution area remind them of the rules: "6 items per family, one meat only per family, one boxed meal per family, one cereal per family and five-minute time limit."
Food distribution ran like a smooth machine. Visitors put the food in shopping carts, and volunteers -- including people on the W-2 public assistance program, county jail inmates, high school students and other community members -- took the food in the carts to the cars.
When at last I spoke with Mr. Lee, he told me he came to the United States on Feb. 3, 1981, and first arrived in California. He is from Cambodia and left because of the communist regime. Before he came to the United States, he was in a refugee camp in Bangkok, Thailand, for three years waiting for his four children.
But after he passed tests and completed interviews with refugee redistribution agencies, he had no choice but to leave by himself.
Asked what he likes about his work at the food pantry, Mr. Lee replied, "I like to talk to people and to help people." As for the type of people who use the food pantry, he said, "All kinds of people -- everyone served, no exceptions."
Melissa Cunningham-Campbell of Wausau is a member of The Neighbors' Place board of directors.
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