Our Daily Bread

“Kennesaw looks like a great community, and it is a great community,” said Daily Bread Food Pantry director Robin Harris. “But your neighbor is starving.”

Harris has been the director of the program, which is a joint operation between and , for the last two and a half years. Harris said that she has seen, and experienced, the aftermath of the economic downturn firsthand.

“Twice a month, we supply groceries, at no charge, that include bread and what we call sweets, treats that [vary] from week to week,” Harris said. “In winter, we have a lot of gloves, scarves and hats donated. August and September seem to be the months when our inventory is lowest, probably because so many members of the community are on vacation.”

The Daily Bread Food Pantry has been serving the Kennesaw community for six years. Over the last two years, Harris said that food demand has exponentially increased, stating that turnout went from single digits to dozens to roughly 80 people per day.

Due to increased demand, Harris said that she has concerns about possible food shortages in the future.

“On the first day, the pantry served six people,” said Harris. “On holidays, we’ve gotten as many as 200 families.”

Harris said that the clientele of the pantry covers a broad spectrum of age groups. “I’ve seen a lot younger people coming in now, kids that are living by themselves, trying to get their careers started,” said Harris. “And many of them are actually college graduates.”

“We‘ve seen a lot more middle class looking folks,” Harris said. “We talk about generalizations, and we talk about stereotypes, but we’re definitely seeing changes in the clientele. We’re seeing more people coming through the lines in nice clothes, nice shoes and nice jewelry. They have a very professional air to them.”

Harris said that she empathizes with many of the people that seek the pantry’s services.

“Three years ago, my husband and I, and our 11-year-old daughter, were living in one of those houses. It was a two story brick house in a fancy neighborhood. And then, the economy tanked, and my husband’s company closed. He couldn’t find a job, and that was really the beginning of the collapse. We used up our savings. We used up our retirement. We used up all the loans we could get. Eventually, we had to foreclose our home, declare bankruptcy and go on food stamps.”

“One Saturday, I remember having $25 in my hand, and wondering whether I should get gas or food,” Harris stated. At that point, Harris said she remembered the Daily Bread food pantry. “With tears in my eyes, I went in there, and I said I needed help. I was so grateful for [their services], and I realized just how important [programs for those in need] are.”

“Kennesaw, I think, is a shielded community,“ Harris said. She said many people in Kennesaw do not realize how severe economic conditions are for many residents in the area, and that most members of the community are unaware of their neighbors’ financial hardships.

“I just don’t think people know about it,” Harris said. “They don’t know that the people next door are on food stamps, or that their neighbors have lost their jobs.”

“Kennesaw has some very, very generous people in the community, but we have to be willing to share. We have to be willing to go out and ask. We have to be willing to step up to the plate,” she said.

“And I think it’s about time Kennesaw stepped up to that plate.”