LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
SCAC Program Runs of Volunteer Muscle |
by Fay Jacobs |
By the time I get to SCAC (Sussex County AIDS Committee) at 9 a.m., the van is already on site. It's food assembly day at SCAC. Once a month, a group of volunteers goes to the Food Bank of Delaware in Milton (traveling in the SCAC van purchased from Sundance benefit proceeds) and picks up an allotment of food, some purchased and some donated. On this day, SCAC volunteers Paul Camacho, Larry Ziegler and David Brent provide the longshoreman services, relaying the heavy cartons and bags from the van to the building. Cartons of canned vegetables, soups, and bags of rice and pasta wind up stacked five feet high, all over the SCAC office. The volunteers leave just enough floor space for an assembly line operation to fill the empty Food Lion paper bags waiting on the table in the center of the room. In addition to the food bank provisions, donations have come into the SCAC office during the month. The supplies are to be divvied up and bagged for pick-up or delivery. According to SCAC Client Services Director Sharyn Warwick, about 40 clients come to the office each month to pick up food. SCAC delivers to another 55 households. Clients get on the list for this assistance by speaking with a caseworker and meeting federal eligibility. And in many cases, the SCAC food program makes a huge difference in the clients' lives. Some clients couldn't survive without it. Sharyn notes that three years ago, 25 people relied on the SCAC food program. Now there are over 100. "We're the only agency in Delaware that delivers, and we go all over the place," she says. SCAC has been effective in providing food to this expanding client list thanks to the generosity of the local community. The Metropolitan Community Church donates food monthly, and there are always generous donations from local schools and individuals. The Soap Fairy in Lewes donates soap; the Milton Middle School Honor Society has been very active; individuals host birthday parties and other events asking guests to bring food for SCAC. And Food Lion donates the bags. On this particular assembly day, the emptying of the truck and the stacking of the cartons has an urgency to it, as the weather is threatening. But once everything is unloaded, the volunteers go to work systematically filling bags, chatting as they work, and making the complex process go like clockwork. Besides the monthly food deliveries, SCAC has a list of wants and needs-clients who need furniture, clothing, household appliances and the like. SCAC accepts all kinds of donations, but because their space is limited they ask donors to call and let them know a donation is coming. "Yesterday somebody called and had a sofa and some other furniture to donate to us," Sharyn says." I knew that one of our clients had just moved and needed furniture. The client was here to pick up the donations when they came in." Matching clients and donors is Sharyn's specialty and she marvels at the selfless generosity of the community. "We get VCRs, TVs, clothes, all kinds of things and our clients are really grateful," she says. What concerns Sharyn is the complacency she's seeing regarding AIDS and its danger to the community. "People have the wrong impression that this disease is manageable now, because we don't hear of the deaths so much anymore. But we've had four client deaths this year, and the situation can get worse." She explains that it's not predominantly a gay men's disease, that her client list includes many, many African American women, IV drug users, spouses of AIDS patients and others. "We have 168 active clients now," and people are not getting tested as they should be. We have people who have no idea they are infected with HIV until they are very, very sick from full blown AIDS. People are in denial and by the time they seek help it can be too late." In the meantime, SCAC and its volunteers are doing everything they can to raise people's awareness of the risks, and the necessity of getting tested and getting treatment. And also to help those people who are sick and in need to rest assured they will have the necessities they require. As for the SCAC clients, they can rely on some very dedicated volunteers working hard, preparing food bags, delivering supplies and serving the community. If you have food, furniture, appliances or other things to donate you can call Sharyn at 302-644-1090. And if you're bored with the gym, get your workout once a month at SCAC's food assembly day. It's power lifting for a great cause. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 12, No. 06, May 31, 2002. |