Ch. 1 – There once was a church that collected a bit of food for the needy. They placed it in sacks and had the church secretary give the sacks to those coming to the church in need. Sometimes the secretary was alone and a little afraid to open the door and sometimes there was no food to give. Sometimes the church was closed. A lot of folks went hungry. Not much of a ministry.
A small group of people saw the need and took the matter to God in prayer. With his blessing they began The Little Food Pantry. Their motto was “We think we can.” The Little Food Pantry had no budget, no space and not many volunteers. Most folks in the church did not think this was a good idea but The Little Food Pantry continued “We think we can.”
With a few donations and hard work from some dedicated people The Little Food Pantry was opened. Whatever was collected was given to those in need. Each week the food ran out but the dedicated people still prayed and cried “We think we can.”
The people of the church began to see the ministry going on and decided to help. Donations of food and money to The Little Food Pantry became regular. More people came to the church looking for help. So each week all that was gathered was given away. The dedicated people continued to pray and cry “We think we can.”
A grant was given by the city of Garland and more food was purchased. Volunteers started to help with buying of food and serving those in need. More and more people came to the church looking for help. Each week all that was gathered was given away. The Little Food Pantry continued “We think we can.”
Refrigerators were donated and shelves erected to hold the growing amount of food. The Little Food Pantry was open more days and more hours. More and more people came to the church looking for help. So each week all that was gathered was given away. The volunteers at The Little Food Pantry continued to pray and cry “We think we can.”
The North Texas Food Bank decided that 750541 needed an official food pantry so they let The Little Food Pantry join in. A storeroom was built. More food was purchased and donated from local grocery stores. More and more people came looking for help and food became more abundant. All those in need were served and there was food left for next week. The Little Food Pantry became Hearts & Hands Food Pantry. The dedicated people and the volunteers praised God and cried “We know we can”
Ch. 2 – Months went by and The Little Food Pantry continued to provide food to those in need. The workload grew as well and the people of the church began to tire and cried to the Lord “How can we keep this up?” He provided help from neighborhood people that used the services of the Little Food Pantry. Volunteers from other churches got involved as well. They all cried “We think we can.”
Those in need grew and the Lord provided more produce and refrigerated food. A new place to keep things cold became a priority. Grants were written and programs given about the work going on. The need was met when a generous donor heard the program about the Little food Pantry and believed it to be the work of the Lord. They all cried “Thank you Lord.”
A special group of folks that had no home came to the Little Food Pantry since the day it began. They received food each time they came in. The people of the church decided to help these homeless folks in other ways as well by offering showers but no one wanted to be in charge. Time went by and finally the task was placed on the Lord’s shoulders. Behold as the next day two Volunteers decided to take this ministry on. The same day calls came back that towels and toiletries were going to be donated. All the people cried “Thank you Lord.”
To be continued…
Hearts & Hands Food Pantry, in the gym at Axe Memorial UMC, 1700 West Kingsley in Garland, is open Tuesday and Thursday 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. each week. Showers are open to the homeless Tuesdays and Thursdays. This will be our first year to assist with emergency housing in partnership with the city. For more information, call 972-278-2175.