BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – New Church in Southport made sure everyone had something to eat on Saturday.
Despite the terrible weather, people came out to take part in the community food distribution.
Cars lined up at New Church in Southport from the early hours of Saturday morning, at 5.30am.
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Volunteers had everyone they were feeding prepped and ready to go by 8:30am.
“We believe in serving God and serving people,” said Stacey Lamb, staff pastor at New Church.
Feeding the Gulf Coast donated more than 10,000 pounds of food to distribute to residents.
“We love our community, and that’s why we’re here today is to show our community that we care about them. We love them. We know it’s a tough time for a lot of people, but we’re here for them today,” Lamb said.
A large variety of food was distributed: over 150 cars were given watermelon, meat, potatoes, fresh bread and baked goods for a sweet addition.
“We received a lot of full-sized cakes, sheet cakes and cupcakes, so we saved some for the extended family so they could have a little sweet treat,” said New Church administrator Brittan Shaw.
New Church has been hosting local food distributions since Hurricane Michael, and strives to do so at least three or four times a year. With six years of experience and the help of 40 volunteers, they do their best to keep traffic flowing.
“We pick them up on the road and we load groceries into their cars as they pass by, and sometimes multiple families will come carpooling together and we load them up with groceries as well,” Shaw said.
Parishioners say whether you’re a regular churchgoer or just need a little help during these tough times, you’re welcome to stop by anytime.
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“We offer this program to anyone who needs it. What makes our program a little bit different than others is that there are no prerequisites or requirements that you have to meet to get the food, but if you need some extra help, please come and we’ll put some food up for you,” Shau added.
The New Church team plans to hold another community food distribution in August.
