FRANKLIN COUNTY, Va. - Although it's been around for 20 years, you may not recognize the God’s Provision Food Pantry when you walk by it. But the work they do inside, feeding more than 400 local families each month, caught national attention and earned God's Provision Food Pantry a makeover.
Feeding that many people is a big job, but for Director Angela Routt, it's a labor of love.
"There is this one family that really has to depend on us each month. And there is a little boy, every time he comes, he seeks out my husband to hug his neck and tell him thank you, because he knows this is where a lot of his food is coming from,” Routt said while fighting tears.
Routt says not only do they feed families from Franklin County, but some as far away as Roanoke, Henry County and even Martinsville who are that desperate for food.
"I can tell you in experience and talking to some of our clients that come through they are ever so grateful. They let us know that if it wasn't for us that they would go half a month, to the end of the month without food. That between their other bills that they have, medications and things,” Routt said.
That's why Rob Ward says they were chosen by Food Lion to receive a pantry makeover, worth a little more than $7,000.
Feeding America Southwest Virginia nominated God's Provision for the Great Pantry Makeover.
In celebration of the Feeding America's Hunger Action Month campaign and Food Lion's 60th anniversary, Food Lion is remodeling and stocking the shelves at more than 60 local food pantries across its 10-state footprint during its third annual Great Pantry Makeover.
Hunger Action Month is a nationwide campaign held each September focused on mobilizing communities to take action on eliminating hunger.
"They had a facility here that does a great job keeping up with their communities and they serve a lot of people. They really have a great need out here. So we had the opportunity to help them out a little bit, and get them some equipment that allows them to take care of that customer in a way they never had before,” Ward said.
That includes a new refrigerated outbuilding called a “cool bot.” That will be new space to store fresh produce and vegetables Routt says they didn't have before.
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