St. Andrew’s–by-the-Sea, Destin receives grant from Episcopal Relief & Development

By Jennifer Lee, Chair – Social Justice Committee
St. Andrew’s By-the-Sea, Destin

Condo cleaners, boat welders, construction laborers, restaurant wait staff, grocery store clerks, motel housekeepers, fishing trip reservationists, fast food workers, charter boat mates, movie ticket sellers, retail clerks, automobile detailers, bait sellers, oyster shuckers, a limo driver and former oil spill cleanup workers represent most of the 78 family bread winners who were helped out the week of August 15 by St. Andrew’s by the Sea Episcopal Church in Destin.

These are all people whose circumstances have drastically changed since the April 20 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill drastically reduced the number of tourists coming to the Gulf Coast.  It’s not just those directly tied to the tourist industry either—it trickles down through the local economy making it more and more difficult to find stable employment with enough paid hours to support a family.

St. Andrew’s applied for and received a grant from the worldwide relief agency of the Episcopal Church, Episcopal Relief and Development, which provides money and resources in times of emergency or disaster.

Volunteers from St. Andrew’s used the funds to purchase gas vouchers and groceries for distribution at the church.  Each family received enough food for about a week—allocations were adjusted by family size.  Each package contained several protein items, vegetables, fruits, pasta, spaghetti sauce, cheese, bread, soups, crackers, peanut butter, jelly, eggs and milk.  In addition, St. Andrew’s had a previous donation available of cereal, snack puddings, individual macaroni and cheese servings and granola bars.  These were added to the packages to ensure that every family had some additional treats.

Gas vouchers, diapers, shampoo, toilet paper, razors, deodorant and feminine hygiene items were also available for those who needed them.

In all, 258 people were provided with food—132 adults, 49 teens, and 77 children.  The youngest client was 6 weeks old and the oldest was 93.

People reported being laid off resulting in a 100% drop in income even after many years of steady employment with the same employer.  Equally draconian were the many stories of people being reduced from 40 hours a week to 8-10 hours per week.  Many volunteered that they had never before had to ask for any assistance, some cried and many received and gave hugs after St. Andrew’s volunteers carried their groceries to their cars.

For more information you may call Jennifer Lee, Social Justice Chairperson at St. Andrew’s 850-654-5476.