Even though our building is going through renovations, we haven’t stopped serving our neighbors in need through our weekly Food Pantry.
We provide lunch bags, walker bags, groceries, selected toiletry items, and other food items on the cart for our guests every Thursday. Here’s what a typical week looks like:
- Lunch bags and other food items on the cart: 22-24 people
- Walker bags: normally about 15 each week
- Selected toiletry items: normally about 4 people each week
- Grocery bags: normally 2-4 families each week.
All of the above numbers are also inflated around holiday periods and especially in advance of inclement weather. During those times our needs are much greater, so those are great times to increase your Food Pantry donation items!
Addressing the various aspects of the Lunch Ministry:
- Lunch bags and other food items on the cart: The lunches usually include a sandwich (turkey or roast beef), chips, cookies, applesauce or fruit cup, raisins, and a clementine. We sometimes add an additional “treat” item into the lunch bags. Other food items that we offer for people to take from the cart are varied and include Vienna sausages, tuna salad packs, chicken salad packs, sardines, crackers, spam, cereal boxes/oatmeal packets, baked beans, Rice-a-Roni, jello, cookies, peanut butter, jelly, extra loaves of bread, bananas, grapes, protein bars, granola bars, cup of soups, cupcakes, Gatorade bottles, and water bottles.
- Walker bags: These bags offer additional selected light food/snack items that people can take. They do not require any cooking, so they are very popular with homeless people who do not have access to cooking facilities. People can take them away to eat later without any cooking, hence the name “walker bags.”
- Selected toiletry items: We are able to make toiletry items available for those who request them. This is not a huge part of the ministry, but it is an important one. We keep some soap, deodorant, body/hand lotion, shampoo, and dental care items on hand. We have put together bags with a wash cloth, soap, a disposable razor, and lotion for those in need who request them.
- Grocery bags: The grocery bags consist of canned goods and other bagged/boxed foods to feed families, but they require the access to cooking facilities. They are complete meals assembled from contributions from the congregation or items purchased by our volunteers. Often we will assemble items for an Italian meal, a Mexican food, or focused on a holiday like Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Each Thursday we meet at 9 am to assemble the lunch bags, food cart, and grocery bags. Putting the lunch bags together and the distribution of all the above Lunch Ministry offerings runs from 10 am to noon. We distribute he food at the cart in the Lynchgate Garden for that entire timeframe weekly.
If you would like to be a part of this vital ministry, please get in touch with the church office.
