Bishop Suffragan Issues
"Tithe Tax Together” Challenge

by Elsie Dennis

Concerned that within the past year there has been a 10 percent increase in the number of visits to the Cherry Street Food Bank, Diocesan Comptroller Chris Smith-Clark and Dave Manes, information technology coordinator, got together to create the idea for the “Tithe Tax Together” challenge. Bishop Suffragan Nedi Rivera along with Smith-Clark and Manes are encouraging people from throughout the diocese to contribute 10 percent of their economic-stimulus checks to the churches. The next step is for each congregation to determine what local charity will receive the contribution. Treasurers can then issue a check from the money collected to those charities.

“We want to get to know our neighbors and what our neighbors’ needs are,” said Smith-Clark.

One possible local charity for the “Tithe Tax Together” challenge is the Cherry Street Food Bank, located in the basement of Trinity Church, Seattle. The staff there sees an increase during the last week of the month in the number of clients using the Northwest Harvest program. “People start running out of food toward the end of the month, most of our clients are senior citizens and people on SSI,” said Steve, warehouse lead, who wished to use his first name only. He said also they see an increase in services around the holidays and that 2,150 people visited the food bank alone on Mon., April 21.

When asked what donations are most needed now, Steve said the food bank needs bread and baby formula. “Wheat prices and gas prices have gone up, so bread companies are focusing on over-the-counter sales,” Steve said. This leaves less bread available for the food banks. Thursdays are “baby days” when formula and other infant and toddler foods are distributed.

“From March 2007 to this March there was a 10 percent increase in the total number of clients served,” said Claire Acey, director of communications for Northwest Harvest.
The figure translates into 23,000 more visits by clients in that period of time meaning that some people need to use food bank services more than once during the week.

Acey said that Northwest Harvest is working on their budget and is being forced to request a 30 percent increase in fuel and transportation costs. Each year the organization handles and moves 18 million pounds of food. They distribute the food free of charge to a food bank network of 300 throughout Washington State. For the first seven months of the fiscal year since last July, the number of visits to partner programs has gone up by almost four percent. Acey said she wouldn’t be surprised if that figure hasn’t increased already.

Stated on the Volunteers of America, Western Washington Everett Food Bank website is “Never before have there been so many hungry people in our region. Not during the Depression of the 1930s. Not during the regional commercial industry strikes of the 1970s.”

“More and more people are coming in,” said Acey. She said that people seem more desperate and are asking about other services more often, including a place to stay and shower. “That’s not typical for us,” she said.

“We might not be able to purchase pasta,” said the Northwest Harvest employee. Acey said that pasta has increased in price from 15 cents per pound to 54 cents per pound.

Smith-Clark suggested that each church collect the “Tithe Tax Together” money throughout the summer and then donate the amount by September 1. Manes will receive stories from the parishes about where money was donated, and publish them on the diocesan website. The top four stories on the charities selected will be published in the September edition of the “Episcopal Voice.”

“This is where the rebate money really belongs, serving the hungry, and the homeless- Christ in our midst,” Bishop Rivera said. Economic stimulus checks are expected to range from $300 - $600 so that tithes could be $30 - $60 from each household.

For more information on “Tithe Tax Together” contact Chris Smith-Clark at csmith-clark@ecww.org. To share your stories about how well your parish did with the challenge and what charities received donations, contact Dave Manes at dmanes@ecww.org.