Blog

As the new coordinator for the MCC Food Pantry, I have been busy with organizational tasks. Thankfully, the Food Pantry’s team of helpers contribute time and ideas to making this easier! We purged the pantry of food items past the “Best By” date. This left a lot of empty shelves so we put out a request for food to restock. Within a week, the Youth Group gathered enough food through the Scavenger Hunt to restock the pantry. What a blessing to get such a quick response to this need!

The next step:  find clients in need of food.  I was still thinking about how to go about this when God brought a person to us! A fellow team member and I were doing some re-organization in the pantry area. I said, “I’ll go ask Elizabeth about whether we should keep that item or not.” Footsteps on the stairs: Elizabeth appeared then, with a man who’d dropped by the church seeking help.

            “Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive.” Matthew 21:22

What extraordinary timing! Mr. M. was passing through the area on his way to relocating in another state. He had a colorful--and violent--history. Yet I felt comfortable talking with him and getting to know his story. He stated that he was a new Christian and wanted to change his life. I encouraged him to seek support when he reached his destination; to get involved with a local church. We made a connection. He expressed astonishment at the help offered to him. Then he packed his motorcycle saddlebags with food and drove off.

This experience provoked some questions for me:  By not confronting Mr. M's story inconsistencies, did I reinforce the concept that church people are naive and easily manipulated?  Should I have been confrontive? Or witnessed more, explained more...how does one handle drop-in clients anyway?

God provided both a client and a learning experience at exactly the right time!

Click here to learn how you can serve the food pantry and what kind of donations are needed!