By Guest Contributor

Over the last several years, ENCORE Ministry Foundation has provided grants to Centertown United Methodist Church in McMinnville, Tennessee, to help with their food ministry. Centertown member and chair of the food ministry program, Michelle Bodey reports on how the grants have impacted their community.

The ministry started about 10 years ago with three volunteers serving approximately 20 families. Today, we distribute 180-200 boxes every week. It’s hard to say exactly how many families we serve since we do not require any information from the recipients, but we estimate it is well over 200 and one-third to one-half of the recipients are over 65 years old.

We envision this ministry continuing to serve our community as long as there is a need. We hope to one day be able to deliver more food to those who are homebound or do not have transportation.

With the addition of the new walk-in freezer, we have been able to accept thousands of pounds of frozen meat. This has dramatically improved the amount and quality of food we can distribute, adding much-needed protein to recipients’ diets and the occasional ice cream treat. We can see the delight on their faces when they see meat and other frozen products in their box.

I have spoken with several folks. Of course, they all told me what a great help the food is for them. But I was surprised when every person told me, with great pleasure, how they can share what they receive with others! Alice shared that she had been injured and unable to work for almost a year and how much the extra food has helped. Gladys said the extra food is a humongous help for her and her neighbor. And we hear stories all the time of grandparents, even great-grandparents, who are raising their grandchildren and struggle to make ends meet.

Thanks to the support of generous donors to the ENCORE Ministry Foundation, food ministries like the one at Centertown are making an impact and addressing the issue of food scarcity for senior adults. To help fund programs and ministries like this within the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference, click this link: https://encoreministry.org/funding/