November 12, 2003
Bad back, good cause
Chiropractic center services benefit Father Fred Foundation
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Heading to the chiropractor Saturday afternoon, Carolyn Simerson did not grab the checkbook or check her wallet for cash. Instead, she put together a bag of groceries to take along as payment.
Simerson, a patient of Dr. Jeffrey Shaw for the past two years, was participating in the Chiropractic Health Center's 11th Annual Patient Appreciation Day.
Every year, Shaw, colleague Dr. Peter Robinson and massage therapists in the office all donate their time for the day as a way of thanking their patients. For the price of some food that will help feed hungry families in the region, around 100 patients received a chiropractic adjustment or a massage on Saturday.
"We fill up the Father Fred Food Pantry every year, it's a great cause," Shaw said. "In the past we've had so much food they had to go get their big truck."
Noting that it is a fun day for everyone, with boxes and bags of food accumulating in their reception room corner, Robinson is always amazed at how much comes in.
"It is just incredible how much food we acquire during this day," he said.
Rev. Edwin Thome, director of the Father Fred Foundation, said food drives by business organizations like the Chiropractic Health Center are a welcome blessing. Unfortunately, however, they still a rare one.
"It is not that common, still rather an exception," he noted, adding schools also hold food drives occasionally. "It is not only welcome but it is an encouragement to us, it shows that we're not the only ones concerned."
Holidays are the time that many individuals and organizations dig deep to help the needy with essentials such as food. Pleased at the seasonal generosity, Thome also noted that feeding the hungry in this area is a year-round problem. The food pantry averages 200 clients a week, each receiving two bags of groceries that include a mix of staples, proteins and items specific to a family's needs.
"We need it all year round: for us every day is Christmas, every day is a holiday because people can't wait until the holidays to eat," he said. "I just took a visitor through for the first time and I showed him the pantry and he said it looks like it is getting bare. It is getting bare."
"When I went through here almost four years ago, I was completely amazed," noted Thome, who came out of retirement to run the foundation. "Even though I had lived in this city since 1969 and had run parishes here, I had no idea how many were hungry."