FRUITLAND, Md. - Thousands of people, here on Delmarva, are living in shelters or relying on local food pantries to survive. It's a disheartening number, that motivated one Fruitland couple to change that.
"Certain people need more help than others and if we can help them that's what God gave us to do," said Beverly Arentz.
Three years ago, Beverly and Michael Arentz felt compelled to feed the hungry.
"I never went to bed hungry but my mom scrimped and scraped to put bread on the table, and my husband was raised in an orphanage so he's gone without," she said.
They formed "Our Daily Bread Ministry" a tax-free volunteer ministry. What began as a one daily delivery, quickly progressed into a full time job, transporting food six days a week to 12 different shelters. Everything from breads to produce, all donated from Giant Foods in Salisbury and the Food Lion in Princess Anne. All of that leftover food would go in the county landfill, leaving so many people with an empty stomach, if it weren't for Beverly and Michael's devotion to feeding those in need. However, the trek has taken a toll on their truck, which nearly broke down right in the middle of a delivery.
"Financially my husband and I have been supporting this ministry by ourselves and with the economy like it is now and gas, it's a huge cost for us," said Beverly.
She estimates about 600 miles a month, and 30 dollars a day. To make matters worse, Michael recently lost his job and Beverly is disabled. But none of that matters to this selfless couple, who believes they were truly sent to feed the less fortunate.
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