The Food Pantry
"This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else." 2 Corinthians 9:12-13
The mission of Christ Church Food Pantry is to collect food and distribute to those in need in our church and in our community.
Dates Open in 2011:
- July 23
- August 13
- August 27
- September 10
- September 24
- October 8
- October 22
- November 12
- November 19
- December 10
- December 17
Hours of operation:
2nd and 4th Saturdays of every month, 9 am-11 am.**
**For the month of November and December, distribution days will be the 2nd and 3rd Saturdays.
Location:
We distribute food out of the Christ Church Mandarin Youth Center, 9791 Old St. Augustine Road.
Contact:
If you are in need of food and cannot wait until the next Pantry give-out, please contact our Pantry Director, Kathy Clements, 945-8338.
Volunteers:
The Pantry is always looking for volunteers! See below for descriptions of volunteer needs. Please contact Cathy Bush (568-5535 or cathyjaxfl@comcast.net) or Kathy Clements (945-8338) if you are interested. Even if you can only serve an hour a month, every little bit is much appreciated and goes a long way!
Weekdays:
- Shopping Assistants: accompany a veteran shopper at Second Harvest. Times are flexible. This is labor-intensive work, so a strong back is needed. Contact Kathy Clements for more information (945-8338)
- Baggers: fill grocery bags. This takes place on the Thursday before a Distribution Saturday, so only twice a month. Bagging begins as early as 4pm.
Distribution Saturdays (2nd and 4th):
- Set-Up: arrive between 8-8:15am to set up tables
- Registrars: complete paperwork for clients, 9-11 am
- Carts/Runners: assist clients by taking groceries to their vehicle, 9-11 am
- Kitchen Help: assist with getting groceries ready for cart runners, 9-11 am
- Kids' Table: volunteers play with and supervise children of clients while they wait for groceries or prayer
- Prayer: volunteers visit with and/or pray with clients who request prayer, 9-11 am
Donations:
Toilet Paper is in high demand right now.
Food- Due to the high volume of food the Pantry Team gives out each month, they are always looking for food donations to help stock their shelves. Food donations can be dropped off in the church lobby. Look for the 2 white bins marked "Christ Church Food Pantry" located near the front door. Here is a list of food that is always in high demand:
- Peanut Butter
- Jelly
- Canned Tuna
- Canned Chicken Breast
- Canned Turkey Breast
- Bagged Rice
- Rice Side Dishes
- Noodle Side Dishes
- All kinds of pasta
- Pasta Sauce
- Dry beans
- Jiffy Mix corn bread
- Canned tomatoes, any kind
- Canned veggies, any kind
- Soups of any kind
- Mac and Cheese
- Children friendly cereal
Clothing- WE ARE NO LONGER ACCEPTING CLOTHES DONATIONS! Please donate your items to a charity of your choosing.
Food Pantry News:
Our Pantry Ranked #2 in NE Florida in 2010!
Thanks to ALL OF YOUR hard work and dedication to our Food Pantry to help us make a difference in our community! According to the Second Harvest newsletter below, we are ranked as the 7th top agency for food distribution amounts, which makes us the #2 Food Pantry in NE Florida!
Love Loud for the Kingdom
Purpose Driven Life author Rick Warren commented that he had missed the fact that there are over 2,000 Bible verses on the poor. "How did I miss that?" Warren told Christianity Today in 2005. "I went to Bible college, two seminaries and I got a doctorate. How did I miss God's compassion for the poor?”
I’ve had that same awakening this week as a result of two resources: David Plath’s sermon “The Gospel Demands Radical Giving” www.vimeo.com/5833626 and the book, “When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor...and Yourself” by Steve Corbett & Brian Fikkert of the Chalmers Center.
“So what happens when not just missionaries but when pastors, music ministers and staff members of churches, accountants and engineers and teachers and lawyers and stay-at-home moms — when we all realize we are all created for and to accomplish a Great Commission? When we look at houses, cars, our stuff and lifestyles in light of the radical needs around world?
“What happens when we begin to trust boldly in the name of Christ, when we commit our lives to telling the nations that he is great? When that happens, the lost find a Savior, and the poor find a helper, and the church finds a God who satisfies more deeply than any and everything else this world has to offer. God, may it be so!”
God, may it be so for Christ Church and for the people that we minister to through our church food pantry!
Who are the Hungry? (Excerpts from Second Harvest brochure, www.WeNourishHope.org)
Every year, more than 25 million Americans- almost 9 percent of our nation's citizens - experience
hunger or have concerns about how they will afford their next meal. When asked to help "the hungry", people often imagine vagrants lined up at a soup kitchen or a panhandler with a Styrofoam cup. While these images do have a basis in reality, the majority of people who experience hunger are working, productive members of their communities. Some have recently lost a job or endured a crisis. Others just can't earn enough to meet basic living expenses. Many are parents, and even more are children.
As the cost of food, fuel, and medical treatment and utilities continue to rise, even more American families are living each day just one flat tire or one unexpected expense away from going hungry. According to the Hunger in America 2006 study, nearly 13 percent of all American children under age 18 are served by organizations such as Second Harvest Food Bank of North Florida. And every year, the Second Harvest network alone serves nearly 3 million seniors age 65 and older. In fact, two out of every 10 households served by Second Harvest include at lease one senior.
In Jacksonville, Florida, 1 in 8 adults are hungry and 1 in 6 kids!
