More than two dozen Suffolk churches have formed a coalition against poverty and are gearing up to begin working to fight the problem.

The idea for the Coalition Against Poverty in Suffolk has been brewing for a couple years, said the Rev. Les Ferguson, rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church, who has been elected as chairman of the board. It started out with just four churches and has grown to about 25, he said.

“This is something that’s very needed, because it makes a difference in this community,” Ferguson said.

The organization is holding an open board of directors meeting today. People are welcome to attend to find out more about the program.

Ferguson said the pastors of the initial four churches began meeting when they realized the same people were coming back month after month asking for assistance.

“If they couldn’t get assistance, they’d go church-shopping until they found help,” Ferguson said. “It seems to me we were putting a Band-Aid on arterial bleeding. Just throwing money at it doesn’t really solve the problem.”

The pastors began looking into ways they could serve more effectively — helping people fix their recurring problems, rather than just patching them up every month.

“We want to make sure people get the assistance they need and help them most effectively,” Ferguson said.

By pooling their resources, the churches will be able to help more people and give them better assistance in the long run, Ferguson said.

The organization is in the process of hiring a services coordinator to work with people who need assistance. That person would take information from those seeking help and provide the aid deemed appropriate, Ferguson said.

The organization also is considering allowing people who receive help to work in a community garden or similar project, thereby earning the assistance.

“We have an expectation we’ll have a thousand people annually come through the system,” said Ferguson, who based that estimation upon the number of people who have sought assistance at participating churches in the past.

Anyone is welcome at today’s meeting, including representatives of churches, people who own businesses such as mechanics and others that can provide assistance, and people who simply want to learn more about the organization.

The meeting will be held at 3 p.m. at Westminster Reformed Presbyterian Church, 3488 Godwin Blvd. For more information, contact the Rev. Les Ferguson at 255-4168 or the Rev. Kaye Johnson at 539-8012.