ROCK ISLAND — Members of the Word of Life Church are paying it forward through a community kitchen and food pantry.
The group, affiliated with the Royal Neighbors of America Chapter 20029 of Rock Island, earn money from Royal Neighbors of America for volunteer hours within the community. They use that money to support a community kitchen and food pantry at the church, 1804 7th Ave., Rock Island.
The kitchen/food pantry began two years ago at the church. Geri Kruckenberg, church elder and director of the food pantry, said it initially served about 23 families per month. That monthly number has grown to about 114 families.
“In 2016, the 23 families represented about 70 people,” Kruckenberg said. “In August of this year, our number of families represented 384 people.”
The kitchen/food pantry is open 9 a.m. to noon the third Saturday each month.
“When our guests arrive, they put their name on a sign-in sheet and they are given a number,” Kruckenberg said. “They go through the breakfast line and eat and when their number is called, they go through the food pantry.
“We do ask our visitors to list the number of people in their family, how many children 18 years old and younger and whether or not they receive food stamps,” she said.
She said the women who attend Word of Life and volunteer with Royal Neighbors of America wanted to offer “things outside of our church with the money we receive for our volunteer hours.”
“We qualify for funds from Royal Neighbors four times a year, and the first check we received we had to use to repair our main refrigerator at church,” she said, adding that the group receives $600 every three months.
The people who earn the volunteer hours provide services within the community and help with the church’s outreach, she said. Some also help at an animal shelter; two teens volunteer at a Christian camp.
Food for the breakfast and pantry comes from the Riverbend Food Bank, the Midwest Food Bank in Peoria and Food Rescue, which Kruckenberg said was a local group that contacts restaurants to pick-up extra food.
“We have a beautiful kitchen in our church, and it wasn’t being used that much until we started our kitchen and food pantry for the community,” Kruckenberg said. “I feel like we are now helping people, and I feel like our community kitchen and food pantry is being the hands and feet of Jesus.
“We are not just giving food to our guests,” she said. “We are trying to build relationships with them. We have been able to pray with them, and we have seen prayers answered. We want to give hope to the people.
“It has strengthened my faith because Jesus wants us to serve others, and I think we are doing that.”
Word of Life is a non-denominational, charismatic Pentecostal church in what one time was the Tri-City Jewish Synagogue. The Rev. Tanner Payton is pastor; services are at 10 a.m. Sundays with fellowship time at 9:30 offering coffee and doughnuts.
Food donations also are received from church members. The church is seeking more volunteers, Kruckenberg said, especially on “preparation day,” usually the third Thursday of the month before the third Saturday.
“We pretty much work from 8 a.m. to 3 or 4 p.m. on that day,” she said. To help, people can call 309-749-7582 or 309-786-1100.
