WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – Inside Dear Neighbor Ministries shelves are stacked in its food pantry.
“You see a need and fill a need,” said Jeremiah Ortiz, program director for DNM.
That sentiment is not always so simple.
“That front door can feel like 5,000 pounds,” Ortiz explained.
Ortiz and his team remove barriers to lift that weight.
“We don’t require identification or ask these tough questions. It puts us in a better space in order just to be able to meet their need,” he said.
The nonprofit cuts through criteria to establish comfortable connections.
“We can let them know that we see them, we appreciate them, and we are here to support them,” Ortiz said.
It provides nourishing, neighborly love that’s as healthy as the deliveries coming in.
“We partner with three local farmers, and we purchase from them directly, so we’re able to shop local while supporting local,” he said.
The partnerships allow them to offer fresh produce and shift the views of the neighbors they serve.
“‘Hey, we got some fresh cucumbers and jalapenos, are you interested? Yeah, I can use it on this and this and this!’ They named off five different recipes before they answer the question with yes. That alone is a paradigm shift,” Ortiz said.
Each bag of food picked up brings a blessing.
“It means a lot because sometimes you don’t have that money in your pocket for the month,” explained Marvin Chavez Jr.
Chavez says that the gift then multiplies.
“I get a blessing and get one back in return by telling somebody else about this program,” he said.
Word of mouth brings more people through the door.
“Out of the 1700s that we average, around 450 are brand new to Dear Neighbor every month,” Ortiz said. “It’s all by that personal invite.”
An invite that satisfies a deeper need for connection.
Dear Neighbor Ministries food pantry is open Monday to Thursday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. It’s located at 1329 S. Bluffview Wichita, Kansas.
