Hundreds of members of Fellowship Community Church spent Sunday, Sept. 27, helping replenish local food pantries as part of a churchwide community service effort.
Following worship services at the church’s campuses, members were given a 15-minute message before being sent into the community to purchase food requested by the Salem/Roanoke Food Pantry and the Local Office on Aging.
Organizers estimated that the congregation collected between seven and 10 tons of food during the effort.
The initiative came as food pantries in the Roanoke Valley face challenges keeping their shelves stocked. Organizers cited an estimated 65 percent decline in monthly food deliveries to major area food pantries in recent months, with some deliveries falling from about 8,000 pounds to 3,000 pounds.
Regional data cited by the church also indicates that about 25.2 percent of children in the Roanoke City and Roanoke County area experience food insecurity. About one in three households in the area is experiencing some level of food insecurity, according to the data.
Church members responded by visiting area grocery stores to purchase items requested by the organizations.
“We want to be a church that sees needs in our community and responds to those needs,” church leaders said. “We want to be a Church on Mission.”
The collected food will be distributed through the Salem/Roanoke Food Pantry and the Local Office on Aging to residents experiencing food insecurity.
The effort was intended to put the church’s message of service into action by sending members into the community to address an immediate need.
