700 food boxes given to needy
On Oct. 29, the parking lot of Family Church was busier than usual.
Cars and trucks were lined up, waiting their turn to pull up to the front entrance. Once there, church members handed each family a big box of food.
It was part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farmers to Families Food Box Program in which the White Hall church at 2500 Arkansas Highway 104 participated.
The parade of vehicles, a familiar sight during the covid-19 pandemic, moved steadily.
After about three intense hours, church members such as Jamie Storey and Michele Jones had distributed 700 boxes loaded with fresh produce.
It was the end of an approximate five-week program, and over the course of the fall, members provided area residents with 1,500 boxes, said the Rev. Stephen Harrison.
Prior to the final week, Harrison said they handed out about 100 boxes per week, and all together, they probably distributed 1,000 gallons of milk.
“This was not part of our food pantry program,” Harrison said, referring to the church’s involvement in a multichurch, multidimensional program that feeds about 75 families, or about 250 individuals, each
month.
As the church put the word out about the Farmers to Families program, he said, they saw many of the same faces.
“We didn’t ask many questions. If someone was coming in, they needed it,” Harrison said about qualifications for the food program.
They were happy to provide the fresh milk, vegetables, fruits, meats and other dairy products, and other farm fresh produce to area families in need.
“We get to know these
people and have rarely had a situation where someone is taking advantage of our help. The extra help was needed,” Harrison said about the Farmers to Families boxes.
Family Church is one church with three locations, including White Hall, Redfield and Pine Bluff.
Harrison has been on staff since 1996 and became lead pastor in 2013.
SOME RELIEF FROM COVID
Farmers to Families, part of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program, was operational from May 15
through Oct. 31, and during that time, more than 116 million boxes were distributed throughout the country through approved nonprofit groups such as Family Church, according to the USDA website.
It was part of the $4.5 billion Families First Coronavirus Response Act that was mandated to purchase and distribute agricultural products to those in need.
In addition to helping folks who needed it during the pandemic, the program also helped farmers economically.