ODESSA, Fla. — The nonprofit Messengers of Hope Mission may not be able to keep its doors open come January, according to Executive Director Bob R. Gardner.
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“Financially, it’s been very tight,” said Gardner. “There hasn’t been a month since June that we haven’t worried about closing our doors, and we’re at that point again.”
For five years, Messengers of Hope has run a mobile food pantry to serve the homeless and low-income residents of Pasco County. They also provide other basic items to those in need, like laundry detergent and diapers.
Gardner said they began seeing demand increase this summer. The weekends before Thanksgiving and Christmas are traditionally their busiest times, and this pre-Thanksgiving weekend saw a record 198 people line up at one pantry stop for food.
That record was short-lived, however. Gardner said 211 people came to a stop on Dec. 2. At this same time last year, anywhere from 70-80 would typically show up.
Part of the difficulty the non-profit is facing is keeping their supply up with demand.
“Each week, we run into the issue of empty boxes and not knowing how we’re going to have enough to give out food the next week. It’s kind of scary from our perspective. We do lose sleep over it,” said Gardner.
Then, there’s keeping up with the costs of rent and utilities for their headquarters and warehouse and fuel for the mobile pantry. Gardner said the group is running at a $9,000-$10,000 deficit for the coming year.
He said part of the issue may be that people who normally would have donated to them instead directed resources to those affected by Hurricane Michael in the Panhandle.
Don Anderson, CEO of the Coalition for the Homeless of Pasco County, said Messengers of Hope isn’t the only group seeing increased demand. Anderson said the coalition has seen a “remarkable” surge in requests to use their portable showers.
He said Pasco County has a large number of people who aren’t necessarily homeless, but who aren’t making enough to afford basic necessities. While it’s hard to pinpoint a reason for the increase, he noted wages in the service area are stagnant and workers may be trying to catch up financially.
The group is also collecting for its annual toy drive and are especially in need of items for teens and older children. To learn more about Messengers of Help and how you can donate, visit messengersofhopemission.org.