PIN Office is open three mornings each week! 

Open Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday

9 AM - NOON

Helping those in the community who need it most!

The People in Need (PIN) Ministry was started many years ago in response to a great need within our community. Along with other local non-profits (i.e., Deep Well), PIN provides financial assistance to those who need help with basic necessities—things that many of us might take for granted.

 

This program is part of FPC’s Local Outreach Ministry and comprises approximately eight percent of the ministry’s  budget. PIN assists island residents with rent, electric and water bills, gas, food and more.

 

The PIN office, now open Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, 9 AM—Noon, is staffed by FPC’s trained volunteers who assist walk-in applicants and some who call, all of whom are experiencing difficult financial circumstances such as health issues, seasonal job loss, hurricane-related problems—and as of last March, some who were financially impacted by COVID-19.

 

The PIN office was closed the first five months of the pandemic. However, because of an ever-increasing demand, the office reopened in late summer with numerous safety precautions in place.

 

Barb Edwards, the coordinator of the program says, “Those of us who volunteer are humbled and moved by those who come in for help.”

 

Following are just a few of their stories.

 

• A young mom came in with her son who sat quietly near her. She asked for help with her rent and tearfully told me that she had never had to ask for help before. I assured her that she was not alone during this pandemic and that we were honored to be able to help.

 

• One day I helped a woman on the phone by paying her electric bill. The woman thanked me and tearfully asked if  she could hug me—even though we were on the phone.

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• It was early on a chilly Tuesday morning and I was sitting in the PIN office sipping a cup of coffee. This was pre-COVID when you could sip and not have to take a mask off! Nancy at reception let me know we had a father with his young daughter here who needed assistance. The little girl was about four years old, holding her dad’s hand, and was peeking around the side of him, half hidden. I knelt down so I could properly meet her and asked them how we could be of help. There had been a fire in their apartment the night before—it had started in the unit below them and he had photos of the damage done to their home. After doing some research to validate the fire, I found a motel room for them to stay in while their apartment was freed from smoke damage. They packed a bag in our food pantry containing cereal,  peanut butter and crackers. They wouldn’t have a stove in the motel room, so items like that were useful. On the way out, with the sweetest smile, that little girl thanked me. After not saying a word the entire time. Those two words warmed my heart! Her father said, “God Bless!”

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