COVID-19 changed a lot of things, and food pantries had to adjust. For Share the Meals in Fayetteville, Georgia, that meant shifting their services.
Before 2020, Share the Meals used the food from MFB to create meals to feed the homeless. During the pandemic, they altered their service to pack food boxes that are delivered bi-monthly to tenants in a nearby apartment complex. They work with the apartment manager and assist about 30 families who are behind in rent due to job loss or hardships.
"We know every family we are delivering food to is needy," says Ann Nunan, a volunteer at Share the Meals. "We are constantly adding families, and once we know they have gone back to work and are sustainable, we take them off our list."
Share the meals is affiliated with Crossroads Community Church. They are one of the nonprofit agency partners that receive food from Midwest Food Bank Georgia.
"God has provided wonderfully, especially through our partnership with Midwest Food Bank," says Pastor Walt Weister. "God has been so good; we have never run out of food."
He has experienced the thankfulness of the people that receive these food boxes.
"When delivering a box of food to an apartment, a single mom with her daughter came running out with her eyes filled with tears,'" says Pastor Walt. "She said, 'thank you, thank you. I work, but we struggle. This gift of food is like Christmas to us.' I will always remember her thankfulness."
"We appreciate knowing the partnership we have with Share the Meals is making a difference for families who need basic necessities," says Pat Burke, Executive Director of MFB Georgia. "They are truly showing the love of Christ through food provision, and we are glad to be a part of making this possible."
MFB gathers food and then gives it, without charge, to food partners like Share the Meals. Working with these partners, we see how God is meeting the needs through their dedicated volunteers.