Conley’s Feeding the Flock ministry cares for locals in need

Feeding the Flock at Conley’s Church comprises volunteers who provide basic necessities to people experiencing homelessness and those in danger of becoming homeless in Sussex County.

The ministry distributes several hundred meals per week as well as providing clothing, showers and laundry services when needed. Much of the food is donated by local businesses and farms, or grown in the garden at Conley’s Church. Feeding the Flock volunteers collect the food, and prepare and distribute meals to the point of need.

Cheryl Wood of the Feeding the Flock ministry said homelessness results from a variety of factors. As a volunteer, Wood has hands-on experience with the homeless and those in imminent danger of becoming homeless in Sussex County. In many cases, a combination of adverse events can render a person homeless. The list includes a lost job, medical bills, low income, lack of affordable housing, mental health issues, and drug and alcohol addiction. Financial assistance programs are available for those who are currently housed, but many are not aware of these options. Once a person is homeless, it is much more difficult to get services and assistance. Wait times for assisted housing programs may range from two to five years.

Recently, during the Wednesday Soup Social at Conley’s Church, a guest said to a group, “I don’t really think homeless people come here. Where are you from?” A Conley’s volunteer at the table said, “We’re all from the same community.” The rest of the folks at the table had actually been picked up earlier at a homeless encampment and transported by Feeding the Flock volunteers to Conley’s Church for lunch, showers and laundry access. In Sussex County, the homeless population is largely invisible to most residents. Unlike larger urban areas, homeless camps and those who live in them are not obvious to the average person in lower Delaware. One of the local camps was recently removed near Route 1 with almost no public awareness.

Wood said, “Treating homelessness as a single issue is as useless as any other generalization. It does not solve any of the many problems that lead to the result of being homeless. Meanwhile, ministries like Feeding the Flock are working to ease the burden of the homeless and almost homeless with compassionate food and services.”

For more information, go to conleysumc.org or email ConleysUMC@gmail.com.