Ebenezer’s drive-through food giveaway blesses community

BENNETTSVILLE—As an ongoing outreach project, Ebenezer United Methodist Church on Bounty Acres Road shares food, smiles, Bible verses and tracts with others in the community.

In an effort to help ease hunger, Ebenezer members collect food items within the church and from food manufacturers to make boxes and bags for food distributions like the one held Dec. 10.

Members had such a good time doing this ongoing project. This time, the church gave away more than 100 bags and shared the good news that Jesus loves and cares for them. They said they met some of the nicest people from all denominations and all walks of life and just had fun doing this event.

They also found comfort and fellowship from other UMCs, like a few ladies from Christ UMC in Bennettsville. A few of their members wanted to see how Ebenezer did their drive-through event and were happy to receive the children’s tracts to read to their very own grandchildren.

In the past, the ladies of Ebenezer provided a meal of chicken bog, green beans, rolls, tea and desserts. After, boxes and bags of canned goods and staples were passed out along with fresh fruit and in-season vegetables. Donations locally and from the conference Hunger Grant Fund help pay for these larger food giveaways. This time, however, Ebenezer opted for a drive-through. The church received cans of soup from Campbell Soup Company, and a few shared how happy they were to get the soups since they had just gotten over the flu.

Shut-ins and those recently discharged from the hospital had bags left at their doors.

Members said the response was overwhelming and humbling. Some persons wrote thank you cards to express their gratitude for the event.

Area food kitchens worked hard to help, like the one run by Roger and Ann Griggs called the Community Kitchen in Bennettsville. Members from Hebron and Ebenezer and other local churches volunteered to cook and make plates through their feeding program.

“I am very fortunate to serve the people at Hebron and Ebenezer UMCs for all their giving and acts of kindness done behind the scenes,” said Rev. Juanita Raber, pastor of Tatum Parish. “They are very hard working and talented and have put all that to good use.”

Raber said Pastor Marvin Karn and his family were long-time members at Hebron and left to become a part-time local pastor, where he serves at upper Ebenezer UMC and Bethel on Hwy. 9 in Bennettsville. These two churches have a joint monthly food giveaway, which has been a huge success.