JERSEYVILLE - Jerseyville’s Got Faith? organization has a wide range of support services for community members.
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Steve Pegram, founder of Got Faith?, explained that the organization works to bring resources to those who need them. Located at 508 West Pine Street in Jerseyville, the ministry’s food pantry, clothes closet and resource room are popular parts of the Got Faith? mission. The ministry's goal — to feed and inspire the hungry — feels more pressing than ever.
“It’s God at work. That is all I can say. That’s just the bottom line,” Pegram said.
Diane Stumpe’s Food Pantry is open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Thursday. From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesdays and Saturdays, Miss Martha’s Closet is open to the public. These clothes are donated from Walmart and Cato’s, and every item of clothing costs $2. There is also a resource room that has a wide variety of household and hygiene items, from toilet paper and dish soap to deodorant and shampoo.
Pegram emphasized that there are no income requirements for any of the Got Faith? services. He believes that by providing resources like food and clothing, it allows families to focus their money and energy on other needs.
“If you can get this stuff, then you’ve got more money to pay your bills or put gas in your car or whatever,” he explained. “If you can pick up this food here, you’ve got more time to earn more money to do whatever and help you pay the bills and gas and electric and water and on and on and on and on.”
Pegram shared that his own experiences inspired him to start Got Faith?. After a car accident put him out of work for 14 weeks, his family was struggling to get by. He remembers one day when he opened the kitchen cabinets to make dinner and found them completely empty.
As Pegram cried, the doorbell rang. A parishioner from a Dow church was at the door with a box full of food and hygiene supplies. Pegram remembers how much that experience impacted him. He started Got Faith? a few years later to share his ministry with the community.
“To me, that was God at work, but I didn’t know it back then,” he said. “The thing of it is, I’ve been there, and that’s what makes a difference.”
In addition to resources, Got Faith? offers several groups for community members. They have a “kramunchkin” group that invites older individuals to meet at 9 a.m. every Thursday for donuts, coffee and conversation.
There are also women’s-only and men’s-only 12-step groups. Pegram shared that he himself is 30 years sober, and the red ribbon in the Got Faith? logo represents those who have been lost to drug and alcohol use. However, the 12-step programs are for anyone who needs them, not just those who are struggling with substance use.
“It’s not necessarily for drugs or alcohol,” Pegram explained. “Everybody’s got problems. And they just go there and kind of just put it up, and to me, that’s just a wonderful thing.”
Got Faith? has a wide range of support services available. You can find out more by calling them at 618-567-5877 or visiting the official Got Faith? website at GotFaithOnline.org.
If you are experiencing food insecurity, check out this article on RiverBender.com for information about local resources.
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