A Rootstown food pantry is serving more people, and volunteers attribute that not only to a growing need but changes taking place at the ministry.
Community Bible Church, which has distributed more than 100 tons of food over the 11-year history of the church’s food pantry, anticipates serving more than 25% more people than last year. Volunteers say part of that is due to a change made over the past year where people are served a hot meal while they wait for their bags to be packed.
"One lady said it was one of the few times she’s able to come in and enjoy a sit-down meal," said the Rev. Scott Hindel, pastor of the church.
The church opens its doors the last Sunday afternoon of the month to people in need. People were served last Sunday, and the pantry will next be open on Dec. 29. The church is accepting donations to continue the program, as well as for a potential future expansion of the Tallmadge Road building.
The church also participates in a backpack program, partnering with other area churches to provide food items to students in the Rootstown and Waterloo school districts, said Rachel Hunt, the church’s administrative assistant.
Although the ministry takes place after Sunday morning church service, it’s not just church members who attend. Volunteers say people from more than 30 households attend. In October, when the pantry celebrated its 11th anniversary, 147 people attended, receiving food and non-food items.
Attendees are given a "menu sheet," which they fill out while eating their meal. Then volunteers take the sheet and pack reusable shopping bags with food items, with quantities determined by family size. While large families get larger amounts of each item, the majority of recipients are seniors living alone.
While volunteers packed the food orders, people enjoyed a lunch of sloppy joes, had a choice of three kinds of soup and ate cole slaw and potato chips, with ice cream cones or brownie sundaes for desert.
Priscella Lewis, a volunteer of the food pantry, said many of the seniors enjoy the community aspect of the program.
"Food is a basic need, but love is also a basic need," she said.
For much of its history, Lewis said people were brought through the small room where food is housed.
"It was like standing in a welfare line," she said.
Now, she said, people are looking forward to going there. People say they are "going out to eat."
Lewis said volunteers appreciate getting to know the community members who come to the food pantry. And some of the people ask the volunteers to pray for them.
"We have the opportunity to share in their own brokenness and their own pain," she said. "It’s truly a ministry to the community."
Reporter Diane Smith can be reached at 330-298-1139 or dsmith@recordpub.com.
