OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Heartland Hope Mission workers are hard at work taking inventory of what’s on its shelves.
Pastor and CEO Chelsea Salifou leads this nonprofit, which aims to help people with food, clothing, and disaster-related needs.
"It's been hard to keep up with everything," she said.
One reason: the multiple natural disasters over the summer, like the tornadoes and floods, that left so many people without a home or with major needs.
This year, its pantry served an estimated 83,000 people, up from an estimated 76,000 people last year.
"We had a huge increase in need for volunteers and staff because we were running supplies out to people if they didn't have transportation. People were coming in to our location," she said.
It's a similar circumstance for Damany Rahn at the Heart Ministry Center. More and more people are needing food and health care.
"The need is great because wages haven't changed a lot in the last few years for people in the community," said Rahn. "Then, there's a lack of jobs, jobs that are a livable wage."
This year, the Heart Ministry Center served an estimated 140,000 people, up from an estimated 120,000 people last year.
Rahn said addressing the influx comes with people doing their part, like adding more jobs and opportunities.
"For the future, we'll look at more social enterprises as a way to mitigate those problems," he said.
Both Rahn and Salifou said their goals for the 2025 is to continue community engagement and getting people connected with resources.
