By: David Villareale
The world is changing and not for the better, there are still those who are struggling to make ends meet. Doug Klick, a Webster resident, makes it his mission to make sure that no family goes hungry on his watch.
Photo taken by David Villareale
Since the pandemic hit, families across the world have faced the hardship of losing a job. Bills are becoming increasingly hard to pay, and to put food on the table has become a job in itself. In Webster, about 2.5% of families and 4.6% of the entire population of the town were below the poverty line. Over 3.3% were under the age of 18, and the 4.9% are those 65 or older.
Doug Klick started the food shelf at the St. Martin Lutheran Church in Webster a few years ago to help the families in need. There are five food pantries in the town of Webster that are a reasonable distance from one another. Ever since a child at Doug’s church mentioned that they didn’t have enough food for the Christmas holiday, he went to work on fixing that.
Photo taken by David Villareale
“The modo for the pantry is taking what you need and leave what you can’t because the pantries are outside and people can come freely and take food or drop off food. There is also a little food pantry online that you can request items as well,” said Klick, Webster food pantry volunteer.
Photo taken by David Villareale
St. Martin Lutheran Church has several areas in the church that are stocked with food that is used to fill the pantry. Giant industrial style fridges keep all essential food products ready until the outside pantry stock goes low. Klick makes several stops at BJ’s to pick up food, which has been presented to the church as a donation.
Klick and his fellow church members visit the food shelf several times a day to keep it stocked for those in need. Seeing Klick in action, you can see that he genuinely loves to help his community out. The smile that it puts on his face and the energy he displays in person is quite spectacular.
Times are tough, and the circumstances that we face are forever with us. There are those out there looking to make your day better, even with the littlest of things. Thinking of others during a pandemic like this can inspire so many people and bring a community together.
