SULLIVAN, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — Our Father’s Arms in Sullivan was serving 30 to 40 families each week, providing both food and clothing, but after the building was destroyed by an EF-3 tornado, their work had to stop but their mission continued.
“We’re indebted to St. Mary’s Catholic Church here in Sullivan,” Don Ransford, President of the Board of Our Father’s Arms said. Because they were able to take USDA commodities and so we gave them our food and they have been open every week and just done a great job and we are grateful to them for taking up the slack.”
Shelly May is the president of the board for St. Mary’s Community Kitchen and Pantry in Sullivan. She said she doesn’t feel like they stepped up. She said they just continued doing what they were already doing, providing warm meals and take-home food boxes to those in need.
But since the tornado, she says they’ve seen an increase in the number they serve.
Their community kitchen served over 14,000 meals between January and November. And the food pantry served more than 5,300.
While St. Mary’s is taking care of the people, Our Father’s Arms is working hard to rebuild and re-open.
“It’s taken longer than we would’ve hoped,” Ransford said. “But as this turned out some blessings have come our way as a result of it.”
The new building will be slightly smaller but it’s designed specifically for the organization’s needs.
“This one is designed just for our purposes. The food group will all be in one room. We’ll be cohesive. We’ll be able to communicate. The clothing side will have less room. And we have less room. This is probably 2/3 the size of the old building, but it’s laid out more efficiently,” Ransford said
The progress on the new building gives them hope.
“It’s something we kind of burst on paper and now it’s happening. So, we’re excited to actually see those plans come together, see how it’s looking, how functional it’s going to be, and that there’s actually a little bit more space than it looked like on paper. So, we’re excited about that. We’re happy for it to be closer,” Ransford said.
Ransford and his team of volunteers are eager to get back to work serving the community. He said once the building is complete, moving in will take some time. He also said the earliest they anticipate moving in is sometime in January.
