Every other Saturday, a group of volunteers meets at a church in Gastonia to prevent people in the community from going hungry.
“You come here, you don’t leave empty-handed,” said Tomeka Black, co-director of Christ Community Outreach Food Ministry.
Dozens of cars lined up outside Christ Community Baptist Church on North Ransom Street from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, July 9, as volunteers from the church’s food service held a drive-thru drive.
Volunteers try not only to help fill bellies in the community, but also souls. They currently serve more than 300 households per month.
“We don’t turn anyone away,” said Mary Webber, director of Christ Community Outreach Food Ministry.
Webber and her husband, Jerome, helped start the church’s food ministry in 2012 as a summer project in the church basement. When that summer was over, the Webbers just kept on giving away food.
Those receiving food are asked to state only their name and number of family members.
Christ Community Outreach Food Ministry gets most of its food from the Second Harvest Food Bank in Charlotte. If there isn’t enough food for the next giveaway, Webber goes to stores like Sam’s Club or Walmart and buys dry goods to make sure everyone who stops by gets food.
“[Customers] are amazed at the quality of meat they get from us,” said Black. “We served filet mignon. I looked at the price of that food and thought ‘oh, maybe I should be fine myself.'”
After the food outreach portion goes through the cars, volunteers bring food to seniors living at Catherine Booth Garden Apartments who want access to food but don’t have transportation to get there.
They provide up to 30 pre-packaged boxes each month for their elderly clients. Each box has enough food for one person per month with two types of meat, beans, cheese, oatmeal, cereal and more.
Black said being able to help feed the community comes with its own rewards.
“This is the hardest job you’ll ever love,” Black told one volunteer on his first day.
Christ Community Outreach Food Ministry, under the leadership of Pastor Ronald Harbienson, currently rents a U-Haul truck every other week, but their next goal is to purchase a van so they don’t incur additional rental costs. They accept donations in person or through “Givelify”, which can be found on their Facebook at CCBC Outreach Food Ministry.
Christ Community Baptist Church is located at 1128 N. Ransom St. Gastonia, NC, 28052 The next car giveaway is scheduled for July 23rd.
Luc Séguret, a senior at Western Carolina University, is working as a reporter for The Gaston Gazette until he returns to school in August. He can be reached at 828-206-2544 or emailed at LSeguret@Gannett.com.
