Agency looks to expand to meet growing Elkhart need

By Ed Ernstes (ernstes@wsbt.com)

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Church Community Services in Elkhart is running out of room to meet the growing demand for its services. (WSBT photo)

By Beth Boehne

Story Created: Oct 28, 2008 at 5:28 PM EST

Story Updated: Feb 1, 2009 at 12:33 PM EST

ELKHART — The economy is putting a crimp in the finances for local families. It's also causing a strain on local social service agencies. One agency in Elkhart is looking to expand to keep up with those who need help.

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Church Community Services (CCS) in Elkhart is running out of room to meet the growing demand for its services. Its current office off Third Street needs more space.

"Compared to a year ago in September, we saw 500 families more this year than last year,” said CCS director Dean Preheim-Bartel.

"We're having an average of about 140 families a day that are coming in to use the food pantry and that's within a six hour period,” added social services director Vonda Horst.

"There are a lot of families in need and they've been coming here to get help,” said food pantry client Tracey McWilliams.

But help could be on the way.

The agency is working to renovate an old office building and warehouse on Oakland Avenue.

Relocating the agency there would more than triple the space at its current office and help streamline and improve one of its most important programs — the food pantry.

“The food pantry, it only allows about four people to shop at a time because it's so small and cramped and now we can almost double the number of people who can be served at one time,” explained Preheim-Bartel.

Plus it will provide more needed storage space.

“It’s a huge issue, and right now we have very little space to store food,” Preheim-Bartel said.

The new building would also house the agency's Soup of Success project and its financial assistance office. It's working to raise $1 million. Right now, the agency has reached 35 percent of the goal.

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