Mission possible: Small community joins forces to feed the hungry

Photo: Sundown Riders with Sally Brown, Ware Shoals site coordinator.

By Fay S. Sprouse, Ph.D.

Ware Shoals United Methodist Church is the home base for a community food bank in Ware Shoals, a small town of about 2,500 residents.

In the beginning, donations from members enabled the church to provide an emergency box of food to families from time to time. However, 2024 proved to be a year of growth and a designation by Greenwood, Abbeville and Laurens counties as an official food bank site.

Becoming an official site includes monthly deliveries of fruits, vegetables and meat from the county as well as a refrigerator and freezer for storage. This additional support enables volunteers to provide nutritionally balanced meals for the families served. The food bank is open two days per month and serves an average of 150 families who live in Ware Shoals. This mission has been blessed by God with support from the community and other churches.

The interdenominational support has been overwhelming. Harmony United Methodist, Calvary Baptist, First Baptist and Dunn Creek Baptist churches provide donations and monetary support as well as volunteers. Sally Brown, site coordinator, volunteers countless hours of her time to this work of heart. From buying, sorting and organizing to packing bags and making home deliveries to those without transportation, she ensures a smooth and efficient operation. Ware Shoals’ Pastor Bill Rogers donates time as well as a portion of his salary to this mission.

In addition to support from local churches, the community support is strong. Students from the primary, middle and high schools participate in service-learning projects to generate donations to the food bank.

Thousands of cans and other nonperishable goods are donated each year. Local civic clubs provide monetary support from time to time.

The Sundowner Riders, a local motorcycle club, holds an annual event to support the food bank. Recently, seven somewhat burly “Santa bikers” arrived in trucks loaded with food and a check for $700. The club is known for its generous support of those in need.

Great things happen when churches and community entities join together in a common goal. God is working in and among us to grow and bless this mission—mission possible!

Sprouse is a member of Ware Shoals UMC and church musician for Ware Shoals and Harmony UMCs.