A Brand New Floor

Written By: Donna Rhodes | Issue: Winter 2024

Fishes & Loaves needs your help. Their building’s floor is collapsing. Freezer cases, equipment, refrigerators are slowly sinking, making thresholds and doorways lopsided toe-stumpers.

It won’t be long before shifting floors, walls, and cabinets will make daily duties impossible. The time has come to pour a real floor of concrete that will literally ground the building for decades to come.

Fishes & Loaves’ Executive Director, Larry Morris, says, “While our commitment is to feed those in need as usual, our routines are impeded by sinking floorboards. The repairs will make it hard to distribute food during December’s busy-ness. Temporarily, we are moving our operation into the old thrift store to bypass the floor problems. We will be doing what we normally do with no shut down.”

The work is underway and will take three to six months to complete, finishing no later than early June, assuming weather and materials cooperate.

F&L’s plea for financial help is necessary for obvious reasons, but they do have grant money and contributions in the coffers. The cost of the additional 300 square feet of floor space, rebuilding and adding a cover over the exterior ramp and the work on replacing the floor is estimated at $300,000. They could manage half, but there is always concern about running out of money for unexpected challenges like this.

Banked money is there to buy food for distribution, especially during winter months when work and pay are scarce. To keep a financial cushion on hand, additional grants and contributions are always welcomed.F&L receives donations as well as volunteers through 11 local supportive Churches.

You’ve got to sing F&L’s praises. All workers are volunteers. No one receives payment. And local businesses, like our local Ingles, sell food to F&L at discount and sometimes cost. Additionally, the Farmer’s Market donates food occasion-ally, and they allow F&L to buy produce at their cost.

The board is excited about F&L’s new floor –and new philosophy. Instead of handing out random foodstuffs to clients, F&L now gives recipients personal choices. That eliminates food waste and adds to clients’ self-satisfaction.

Larry closes with this promise, “Because of constant use, it’s evident F&L’s building needs some TLC. We want it to remain functional and well-used in years to come. Through the challenges of floor cost, inflation (food this year is three times the cost of last year), and the pandemic, we’ve discovered someone always steps up. Thank you, Community!”

Inquire about Fishes & Loaves, a 501(c)(3) organization, atfishesandloavescashiers.org. Please consider a generous donation by year’s end. Think about joining the board, too!Thought for the Day: If you’re going to take a giant step forward, it might as well be on a new, solid floor.