Covenant News

'To Find Hunger, Open Your Doors'

SANTA ROSA, CA (October 30, 2004) - Caring care for Sonoma County's working poor is the mission of the Open Closet ministry at Redwood Covenant Church, which was featured recently in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat newspaper.

It wasn't only the uniqueness of the ministry per se that caught the newspaper's attention. The ministry is being advanced by what some describe as a mostly Anglo congregation meeting the needs of a growing Hispanic community.

"Before sunrise, dozens lined up outside the Redwood Covenant Church, waiting for food and clothing," writes reporter Paul Payne of a visit to the site earlier this year. "By 10:30 a.m., about 180 families had come and gone. Church leaders say the monthly giveaways, dubbed Open Closet, chip away at a problem that often goes unnoticed in an affluent region."

The congregation has sponsored the giveaway one Saturday each month since 1996, typically attracting about 150 families, says one of the church's pastors, Alejandro Sotres. The ministry has grown from a smaller west Santa Rosa operation that began eight years ago and served a few dozen families.

In addition to bags of food - some of it provided by the Redwood Empire Food Bank (the largest provider of food for the poor in the county) - one room at the church is filled with second-hand clothes that also are available for free. Redwood Covenant had been assessing the need for a stronger presence to Hispanics in Sonoma County for a while, but the addition of Sotres has helped considerably. Sotres came from a theological studies background in Canada in 2001 to attend to the congregation's small number of Spanish-speaking members and has since helped the food drive grow.

Moving into a larger building last fall has also been a catalyst for increased use of Open Closet. After the congregation moved into its new home, Redwood Empire Executive Director David Goodman donated a forklift to the church and now assists Sotres and volunteers with planning the monthly offering. Church volunteers served about 450 families in December 2003. Combined with a home delivery program, he hopes to get food out to about 3,000 families a year.

Sotres describes hunger as ``an invisible problem'' that hits people from all backgrounds, especially poor Latinos, who may not qualify for public assistance, and elderly whites. Goodman notes that despite Sonoma County's image of wealth, many families have trouble feeding themselves - a family of four must earn $70,000 a year to get by, Goodman says.

The fact that so many people seek help from the food bank is proof that people aren't making the minimum amount, he adds. "The way you find hunger is by opening your doors and serving food."

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