Community Angels Supplying Hope in Our Small Town
How much do you think about food?
If you are like most humans, you think about it at least three times a day. Then there are snacks of course. If you are like me, that number grows to about six times a day. What do you do when you think of food? Dig around in the fridge to see what treasures await? Maybe you make a list for the grocery store, or check to see what food trucks are in town. Maybe you had to your favorite local café or restaurant to pick up what you need.
For many of our neighbors, the question becomes very stressful. "Do we pay rent or do we buy groceries?" "How far will this paycheck stretch for the food that we need?" "What are we going to do this month?"
Food, water, shelter. Basic human needs. Needs that aren't guaranteed. Needs that cost money. Needs that are not always met.
Then there are the community angels. The angels that show up to give and shower our neighbors with food. In the hiking world these saints are called Trail Angels. They deposit food and water along long stretch of trail that are far from towns. They give out of their hearts to meet a need.
In our community you'll find these angels in various places.
One of them is the Blessing Box at the Randolph-Roanoke Career Technical Center in Wedowee (there is one in Woodland and Roanoke as well). The premise is simple - see a need, meet a need. If the box is empty, that means it's time for us to pick up some extra nonperishables the next time we are at the store and add them to the box.
Some of these angels are at Wedowee First United Methodist Church, the Methodist church in town.
They work with the Food Bank of East Alabama in Auburn to coordinate a Food Drop the last Wednesday of the month. They get a variety of dairy, frozen, non perishable, and fresh produce from them. Pastor Todd takes the ingredient list and runs them through the AI recipe generator online and prints out recipes for those who come through the line. These angels fill the cars with the food while Janice Eller sees to each person in the car, checking in, and delivering the recipes along with a whole lot of smiling genuine love (if you know her, you know).
Last month they served a record 230 households, which included 512 people. That means 512 local friends and neighbors were in need enough to drive to the church for food, and these angels tended to their needs. Volunteers are always a need - the food shows up around 8:30 am and these angels bag up the food into family portions. They begin handing out the food around 10.
Not only do they help ensure that the families eat throughout the month, they also take it on to serve a Soup Kitchen at the Prescott Burns House next door to the church. The lovely old white house next door is used for all sorts of ministry opportunities. Every Thursday night the Lighthouse Soup Kitchen is in full effect, handled by these angels. They cook a homemade single dish meal with fresh ingredients from the food bank in Auburn. Something like Brunswick stew, or spaghetti for example. The food give out starts at 3 pm and goes to about 5 pm. Each week 2 - 5 angels take on this task to serve 80 to 90 hungry souls. They take it to the cars, which started during Covid. There are two other churches who currently help with this beautiful endeavor - the Catholic church and the Baptist church in Wedowee.
When I spoke with the head angel in charge, Dick said they could most certainly use more angels. In fact, in your group of church or small group Bible study would like to get into the rotation monthly, quarterly, whatever works for you then that would be most welcome. The ingredients are provided, all you would have to do it cook them and hand them out with all the love in your heart. It's a big job to be a community angel and a wonderful experience for all involved.
To join the angels for the food drop or the soup kitchen contact Dick Israel at the church number: (256) 357-2214.
