Food pantry holding distribution this week
A new food pantry has opened in St. Marys as it prepares for its monthly food distribution this week.
With their third food distribution set for Saturday, Jennifer and Tim Overley, members of New Community Church, located at 1025 Greenville Road, wanted to help people in need by offering food for the body and food for the soul.
That passion for helping others in Auglaize
County, especially during the holiday season, led them to open In His Name Food Pantry.
Visitors may have a hot meal, bags of food, a carry out lunch and more.
Overley said a friend thought of an idea of having a more frequent food pantry in St. Marys after working with West Ohio Food Bank through her job once every three months. That prompted Overley to begin looking into doing a monthly food distribution at a local church.
“It’s all free. We call it, ‘In His Name,’ because we offer this food as a ministry to help nourish their bodies and their spirits,” said Jennifer Overley. “We have Bibles and other Christian handouts. We offer spiritual encouragement and prayer to everyone.”
To donate food, money or to help as a volun
teer, contact Overley at 419- 494- 5092.
She can answer any questions about the food pantry.
Since beginning the food pantry, Overley has received donations from the Fremont Co. in Rockford, who made a $500 donation to the food pantry in November. Pantry Pride has invited Overley to buy meat at its store to help with packed lunches, The
Dannon Co. sends a monthly donation and Overley said she received monetary and food donations from family and friends from out of the state to help get it started.
The food pantry has been able to get its name out there on Facebook under In His Name NCC Food Pantry, as well post flyers around town and get the word out with help from the New Community Church posting it on the Telephone Service Co. channel.
The food pantry holds its tributions every third Saturday each month. The next distribution will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. “There are some families in the area that necessarily cannot store food — they could be homeless — so with the sacked lunches and the hot meal, they at least get a hot meal and something for later,” Overley said. “So it’s very important to have another food pantry in this town.”