Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Food bank gets truck load, uses train to conserve fuel

Gurdons Fountain of Hope Food Bank received a full tractor-trailer load of 25 pallets of non-perishable food items and household supplies on Tuesday, Aug. 9.

Darrel Potratz, food bank director, said the local branch, which opened across from the Methodist Church in October off of Second Street, will continue "to supply food as long as my son keeps sending it from Southern California."

Potratz said fuel costs have made it harder to get the food from Pica Revera, Calif. (near Los Angeles) to the Southern Arkansas branch of the food supply ministry. The cost to ship the food, over the road, by truck, was getting close to $2,500. The last batch was shipped by train for six days, loaded onto trucks in Memphis, Tenn., then driven to Gurdon by J.B. Hunt Trucking Company.

The new method of moving the food, intended to go to give a hand up to families falling on hard times, saved Fountain of Hope between $300 and $500. Portraz said as long as highway fuel is expensive, moving the food by train will continue to be way to get new supplies across the country in the future.

"We are in a position where we help people within a 75-mile radius of Gurdon to provide groceries when they cannot do so," Potratz said. "We have never turned anybody away, and give them the supplies if need be. If someone has a little to donate, we have very inexpensive suggested donation prices for the items. That money goes directly into a fund to pay utilities and rent, and to get the next batch of food here."

Volunteer Roland Fulmer Jr. said he believes two full supplies and a partial load or two have come in since the organization started last year. He said volunteers receive no pay for hours spent distributing the food and household supplies, nor do they want anything for their efforts.

In addition to cash donations, Fulmer said Fountain of Hope accepts garage sale items or about anything of value "so we can keep this food coming."

"Nobody is trying to make a profit here. We just hope to have enough steady donations to keep things in operation and keep on helping people who need us to be here," he said.

Portratz said he and his team of volunteers have actually unloaded four trucks, with this being the second full one to come to Gurdon. Volunteers on hand to unload Tuesday were: Potratzs grandson, Matthew Lynch, Fulmer, Eddie Stoker, Brandon Williams, Matthew McClure and William Gauld. Lynch, Fulmer, Williams and McClure are from Gurdon. Stoker is from Arkadelphia and Gauld is from Dierks.

The national organization came to Gurdon in September 2004 and set up shop where the old Gravell Pharmacy used to be located. Fountain of Hope officially opened its doors to the public at the 2004 Forest Festival, during the last weekend of October.

Potratz said his son, Pastor Martin Potratz, started the non-profit organization in the middle 1990s, with the mission of, "distributing donations to populations overlooked by the rest of the world."

"My son put me to work with the principal of providing a hand-up rather than a hand-out," Potratz said.

"If you are aware of families that are in need, and want to sponsor them, we would like a note or letter signed. That way, we can supply them with a box of food, and we will supply a copy describing what we have done to the sponsoring church or other agency."

Potratz said Fountain of Hope continues through donations and secondly by way of people buying memberships for $5 a year. When a person buys a membership, they can come and shop, after contributing the minimum suggested donation. If they cannot afford to donate, Potratz said he has never turned anyone away in need of food.

"We are a certified tax deduction and will supply the tax papers to those who want them," he said. "We still encourage a sponsorship note. I discourage an individual just showing up, but I wont turn anybody away."

Regular hours for Fountain of Hope are 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Examples of items received on Aug. 9 are: canned food, tarter sauce, peach and crush mix, toys, grape juice, orange juice, apple juice etc.

Potratz said, "Our goal is to collect $800 more per month in donations than our operating expenses so can order a new load about every three months. It will depend on how much the people support us."

Potratz said his first year has seen some growth. Families needing food have taken advantage of the Fountain of Hope as far away as Magnolia, Emerson and Pine Bluff. He said the organization has given food to right at 50 families.

As to members, who usually can give the suggested donations, he said there are more than 100 now.

"We want everyone to come and check us out," Potratz said. "In our first 10 months, we have distributed approximately 120,000 pounds of food, toys, clothing, household items and more."

Potratz added that donatiions may be made directly to Fountain of Hope or through the First United Methodist Church of Gurdon.