Serving the Lord by Serving the Poor

Story and video by Tyler Sipe

Shepherd's Table is one of the most popular eateries in Cadillac.  On this evening, there's a line of more than 50 people patiently waiting for dinner. 

About 300 more patrons are seated in the cafeteria-style dining hall.  This is the first meal of the day for some customers.

Shepherd's Table is run out of First Baptist Church of Cadillac.  The church is one of nearly 50 in Wexford County that serves the Lord by serving the poor.

Brad Little, his wife Patricia, and their three sons have come to Shepherd's Table twice a week for the past six months. 

"Thank god for this place," Little said.  "We would have a choice to not eat, or not pay the electric bill

The Little's depend on Brad's truck driving income of about $2,000 a month. Half of his paycheck goes to paying the mortgage, and another $450 goes toward car and insurance payments. Brad said that leaves the family little flexibility when buying food and paying for utilities.

The Little's story is all too familiar for Shepherd's Table director Katherine Balzuweit.  She helped co-found the free-food program 18 years ago.  Then, they had about a dozen people come in each week for a free meal.  These days, they feed around 800 people a week.

"Most of America is one or two paychecks away from financial ruin," Balzuweit said.  "You think it could easily be you, it could so easily be anyone." 

Balzuweit said more Cadillac area residents are turning to Shepherd's Table, and other religious organizations for welfare assistance.  For many of these people, their unemployment benefits have run out, or their government welfare subsidies have been reduced.

"There's a lot of people that have lost housing," she said.  "And they have no other place to go." 

Today's home foreclosure rate in Wexford County is five times higher than in 2000.  And nearly 8,850 people in the Cadillac area receive food assistance from the state of Michigan.

Michigan has the highest unemployment rate in the country at 15 percent.  And in June, Wexford County had the fourth highest unemployment rate of the state's 83 counties. 

The large number of jobless people has strained state and local agencies providing human services.  Many of these agencies act as a safety net for individuals and families who have fallen on hard times. 

But many of the agencies themselves are in need of a safety net.  Shrinking tax revenues at the federal, state and local levels has forced government officials to reduce funding to some social service programs.  This, at a time when demand is at historic highs.

David Van Houten is director of the Michigan Department of Human Services for Wexford and Missaukee Counties. 

"Our case loads have tripled since 2000," Van Houten said.  "We're struggling to keep up with demand." 

David said his agency will hire two, temporary full-time employees to meet the surge in requests for state assistance.  The positions were made available through one-time federal stimulus.
 
Still, he said, the extra staff will not be able to meet the needs of everyone.  And David said not everyone should expect to qualify for help.

He said many of those that do qualify for assistance programs don't even come close to receiving aide that meets basic needs of individuals and families.  So he and his colleagues often point people to outside resources.

"Love INC is a clearing house for the churches in Wexford County," he said.  We make many referrals to them." 

Linda Smith is an office assistant at Love In the name of Christ, or Love INC.  

Love INC coordinates with 53 Cadillac area churches, across denominational lines, to help the poor.  Together, Love INC, and area churches provide immediate needs such as food and clothing.

Last year the agency pooled and helped distribute more than three-quarters of a million dollars to those in need in the Cadillac area.  A decade earlier the amount was just $30,000.

Linda said Love INC will likely break last years record.  Especially since so many government agencies have had their funding reduced.

"I think the churches are starting to step up to the plate," Smith said.  "And to me that is really the core of helping those in poverty." 

Love INC provided nearly 4300 referrals last year, an increase of more than 475 percent from a decade earlier.

The agency is currently averaging about 100 referrals a week. 

Linda finds the hard work rewarding, but also emotionally overwhelming from the countless stories of local residents struggling to get by.

"I just have to stop, and breathe in Jesus, and exhale out some of the stress and anxiety and fear," she said.

Linda said she hopes the faith of individuals, regardless of religion, can help the community overcome the area's current economic doldrums.