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Copyright 2011, Louisville and
Jefferson County Metropolitan Sewer
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Company (LWC).
All Rights Reserved.
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2.5
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Community Services and Revitalization
Al F. Humphries III
April 17, 2014
COMPASSION AT WORK
W
hether by loss of work, natural disaster or medical
emergency, there is a constant influx of Louisville
residents in need of a helping hand. For 27 years,
Shively Area Ministries (SAM) has been providing that much
needed support in southwestern Jefferson County.
zip code by being a centerpiece of collaboration for numerous
charitable organizations as well as the 26 participating churches
in the area. There are 15 zip code districts across Jefferson County,
each with their own unique ministry and needs. However, hunger
and poverty will exist regardless of location.
In a residential district home to approximately 42,000 Louisvillians, more than 11,000 relied on SAM for some form of assistance
in the last fiscal year alone. The recent economic downturn has
hit this area of Louisville particularly hard. The average income
of clients who visit the organization is just $800 per month and
the amount of residents below the poverty line increased from
11 to 18 percent between the 2000 and 2010 census.
“One program all 15 Jefferson County ministries have in common
is our emergency assistance program,” said Louisville Ministries
President and Fern Creek/Highview Ministries Exec. Director Reverend Ron Loughry. “Emergency assistance is our basic common
denominator. We’re all involved in some degree in emergency
food and financial assistance to prevent homelessness, hunger
and loss of utilities.”
“Part of the reason for that increase was due to the demolition of
public housing in Louisville’s west end as well as the financial crisis of 2008. On top of those hurdles, we have an aging population
often raising their grandchildren,” said SAM Executive Director
Roxanna Trivitt, who believes the key to continued service lies
along multiple roads.
Ideally, individual churches are meant to act as a security net for
their congregation, but what happens when the problem gets too
big? When the Shively Pastor’s Association initially committed
to the idea for a community food pantry, it was simply a matter
of supply and demand. The churches couldn’t handle the needs
of the community by acting individually so they came together
for everyone’s benefit.
Those roads have included continued collaboration with the
Louisville metro government and non-profit groups such as Dare
to Care which help provide food and services for local families,
continued education of residents and strengthening the food
pantry, which has been the organization’s centerpiece since its
inception 27 years ago.
As part of Louisville Ministries, SAM offers assistance to the 40216
4
“These churches were seeing the same people return, they
couldn’t keep the pantries stocked and were having trouble
finding volunteers to help staff each facility,” said Trivitt. “So
they thought ‘What if we brought this together and created a
ministry to not only feed those in need but spend time figuring
out why they’re coming?’ ”
VITAL SIGNS Volume 10 • Issue 1