{"id":51931,"date":"2024-11-15T20:03:46","date_gmt":"2024-11-16T01:03:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/?p=51931"},"modified":"2024-11-15T20:03:52","modified_gmt":"2024-11-16T01:03:52","slug":"bouncing-back-from-arson-proves-difficult-for-polk-county-food-pantry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/2024\/11\/15\/bouncing-back-from-arson-proves-difficult-for-polk-county-food-pantry\/","title":{"rendered":"Bouncing back from arson proves difficult for Polk County food pantry"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

One year after arson destroyed his food pantry just before Thanksgiving, Dais Abraham said he has struggled to build back what he lost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThere is nothing that I restored from there,\u201d said Abraham, who runs New Testament Ministries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Nov. 15, 2023, an arsonist set a fire at the New Testament Ministries food pantry in Lakeland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At that time, the community and non-profit organizations came together to provide Thanksgiving meals for the people Abraham served.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The arsonist, Gordon Nelson, pled no contest to the arson charge this summer and was sentenced to three years in prison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even now, Abraham said he cannot make sense of why the fire happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI still don\u2019t understand exactly but I know for sure it\u2019s not something that the community wanted but the need has increased much more than ever before,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve been through a lot more challenges, especially to put back a place again is not something that\u2019s easy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Location and financial challenges have made this a long, hard year for Abraham.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the meantime, he\u2019s bringing the food he still receives to the \u201cChampions Canteen\u201d at Bartow High School.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe named it the Champions\u2019 Canteen because we want to take the stigma out of the food bank,\u201d said special education teacher Deanne Taylor, who runs the canteen. \u201cIt\u2019s just an eye-opener that the kids are hungry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the last few months, Taylor said Abraham has helped to fill shelves with food in between Feeding Tampa Bay deliveries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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 \u201cWe get deliveries every two weeks so that second week, its slim pickings and we want to be able to provide people what they need,\u201d said Taylor. \u201cWith Abraham helping out, it\u2019s filling in what we don\u2019t have.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSpace wise it\u2019s not enough but at least it is running. It is giving someone something,\u201d said Abraham.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abraham is looking for some help to reopen a standalone food bank, like the one he lost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey can help financially and by finding a place, if somebody has a facility or a place that they have which could be used, yes that would be the biggest help,\u201d said Abraham.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abraham can be reached at (813) 643-3247.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abraham and the \u201cChampions Canteen\u201d will be giving out turkeys and Thanksgiving fixings, drive-thru style, next Friday, Nov. 22 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Bartow High School.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Man arrested for arson after lighting Lakeland food pantry on fire<\/a><\/blockquote>