Church opens food pantry to help with hunger Albany area

ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - A local church is stepping up to help with hunger in South Georgia.

The Trinity Lutheran Church in Albany has opened its first food pantry.

“Oh look, they have a food pantry going on, she looked at my daughter and said do you want to turn around? and I said yeah that would help us out a lot with what we are going through,” Linda Senig, an Albany Resident, said.

Community leaders have donated items that are serving those in a neighborhood where you can walk to get the things you need.

“Every member of our congregation is not only excited to offer this as a resource to the community, but we are very proud that most of what we’ve received came from donations from members in the congregation. So we are just thankful to be able to provide something for our neighbors,” Rodney Bearman, President of Congregation Christ Cupboard, said.

This food pantry was not possible without the help of the community. One resident expresses how she feels after receiving help.

“Grateful because I’m struggling, I do have a job but I’m struggling with my bills and being able to feed myself,” Shawntele Hill, Albany Resident, said.

The organizers said that a lot of the people who come by often do not know who to turn to for help. That is why in addition to the food, residents will also get a resource guide.

“There is no shortage of persons that could use the resources that we are providing, we just want to connect them with those, so our goal is to give it all away,” Bearman said.

Dougherty County residents will be able to get what they need every third Saturday and organizers hope people will see the mission behind the vision.

“Mission statement is feeding the souls of our community through grace alone, scripture alone and faith alone,” Bearman said.

Today marks the first step, they’ve restocked the shelves. Organizers said that they felt happy as they walked alongside those who needed this help.

The next food pantry will be on June 17, 2023.

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