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Charities See More Need This Year

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By TED JACKOVICS

tjackovics@tampatrib.com

Published: November 28, 2008

BRANDON - Cynthia Pinckney ministers to the needy, so she's extremely well-versed on the economy these days.

By the looks of the gathering she organized in Brandon that swelled to more than 600 guests for a multicourse Thanksgiving Day meal, the U.S. economy could use a big boost.

Pinckney agreed. "Some of the volunteers from a year ago have become needy themselves," she said.

The gathering exceeded last year's attendance by at least 100.

Other charities also drew more people than last year, which they attribute to the poor economy. At the Metropolitan Ministries continental breakfast and Thanksgiving noon meal at its Florida Avenue holiday tent in Tampa, one of several tri-county locations, the social service agency provided meals for 3,500 people and food deliveries for 24,000 families.

"We added more than 5,000 families to our rolls this year," said Ana Menez, a spokeswoman for Metropolitan Ministries.

Thanks to the efforts of Cynthia Pinckney Ministries, Metropolitan Ministries and other caregivers throughout the Tampa Bay area, people's spirits got a boost on Thanksgiving, if only for a couple of hours.

"No matter what position we are in today, we can always say thanks," Pinckney told the gathering before noon at the Brandon Boys & Girls Club.

Jay Meek, 43, stood patiently in line for a Thanksgiving meal of turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes and a selection of desserts from pumpkin pie to carrot cake.

"Last year I didn't have a Thanksgiving at all," said Meek, who worked in the pest control business before losing his job. "There are a lot of nice people here, so today is much better."

But he still can't find a job.

"I've got skills, I've got a good background," he said. "But I don't have residency. It gets down to that and I can't get hired."

In Pasco County, about 100 people at a homeless shelter in Hudson had a bittersweet Thanksgiving Day meal.

Lisa Henry, the director for 19 years at the Holy Ground Shelter, is in bad health and was spending the holidays in the hospital, volunteer Billy Selby said.

It was Henry's custom to gather homeless people on the streets in Pinellas and Pasco counties to take them to the shelter for Thanksgiving for the past two decades.

Donations kept pace this year despite the bad economy, and more than 100 guests joined the 35 people at the shelter, Selby said. But the economy has taken its toll in creating more needy people, he said.

"Morale is pretty good overall these days, but today we are a little low because Lisa is not here," Selby said.

Reporter Ted Jackovics can be reached at (813) 259-7817.

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