It's about the long haul for The Creek Church in Indianapolis. The pantry provides food assistance to people with long-term needs and connects them with other services like financial coaching, housing, addiction support, or other human services.
Volunteers at The Creek also invest in building relationships by meeting with small groups of people over a long time. Typically groups meet twice a month.
"When they meet, they support each other through encouragement and prayer as they walk through the ups and downs of life," says Chris Cesnik, Generosity & Outreach Assistant Director, The Creek. "They have walked through hard times of health crisis, loss of family members, and loss of jobs. They celebrate, too, by watching God work in their circumstances."
"The Creek provides food at their church and a public school in a challenged area of Indianapolis," says Marcie Luhigo, Executive Director of MFB Indiana. "Individuals and families are surrounded with love, support, encouragement, and connected to other resources."
About 100 people are part of The Creek's outreach. The food in the pantry is donated by church members and comes from Midwest Food Bank, Indiana.
"MFB loves partnering with The Creek as they provide holistic care to those whose situations are complex," says Marcie. "It takes years for the seeds to take root and their food security to improve."
The people of The Creek not only serve by providing food. Many from the church also volunteer at MFB.