MODESTO, Calif. — A Stanislaus County nonprofit is issuing a plea to the public, asking for help in their mission of feeding hundreds of local families.
"We pride ourselves in what we serve. Our kitchen manager does a really good job. He loves to do that full meal, so that when somebody comes in here and eats, they don't feel like they're eating at a homeless shelter," said Modesto Gospel Mission Director of Development Scott Pernice. "They feel like they're eating somewhere that they'd like to come back to."
Making those types of meals, however, comes with a price tag. The mission goes through nearly 100 dozen eggs and 50 gallons of milk each week, and with pantry shelves less full lately, it's those full-course meals that are at risk.
"Your everyday person who comes down to donate, they're not usually bringing those things. They're bringing things like clothes or socks," Pernice said. "The big need that we have right now is breakfast items. I mean, we're talking bacon, sausage, oatmeal, milk, pancake batter, maple syrup. You can imagine when you have 200 people from the community coming down here and depending on us — including kids before school for breakfast — we fly through those products. So we are in desperate need, to be honest, right now."
That need is expected to continue as the year goes on. The shelter expects a couple of thousand people to line up for warm meals on Thanksgiving Day, just weeks away.
"You know, everybody needs nourishment," said Modesto Gospel Mission volunteer Hershell Trevatt. "This place does a good job at nourishing people."
Trevatt knows the power of nourishment all too well. Just a few years ago, he was the one walking through the front doors to get a hot meal and ultimately to turn his life around.
"I've accomplished a lot of goals," Trevatt said. "I got my medical going. I got my SSI going and since then I even got housing now."
Now, nonprofit leaders are hoping the community will step in to help them change more lives. Donations can be dropped off at the Gospel Mission's main building on Yosemite Boulevard in Modesto. They also accept monetary donations through their website.
"Being able to provide them with those quality meals, to me, it's just incredibly important... having more than just eggs and toast, but having a protein and a fruit and things like that to go with it," Pernice said. "We're never at risk for not being able to feed people, but we are at risk for having to lower the quality of the meal we provide."
Watch more from ABC10: Low-income and elderly families in Stanislaus County are at risk of losing a critical service
