Mike, holding a shirt that says, “Take a Stand to Fight Hunger.” The shirt was given to him by a local church group, Heart of a Sportsman.
Fighting Hunger One Person at a Time
Mike Astrop is the kind of person who goes about life quietly helping others, not asking anything in return. For example, seeing the need for a food pantry in his community fourteen years ago, he began one there in the back of South River United Methodist Church in Woodleaf, NC.
The early years of the pantry at South River consisted of laying out food on a few tables in the back of the fellowship building. Little by little as people heard about the ongoing project, they began donating money with 100% of it used to purchase food. While most of the food is bought through donations, sometimes community events such as the Woodleaf Elementary School food drive, or church organizations like the “Heart of a Sportsman,” donate food instead of money.
By 2006, with the needs of the community growing, it was almost impossible to store all of the food in the fellowship building. That’s when Mike and his wife, Tina, having the church’s blessing, applied for a Duke Endowment Grant, with the money specifically designated for a new building. Today as you drive around to the back of the church, you’ll see a beautiful white building that to many means food for another month.
Open the 3rd and 4th Saturdays of each month, registration for the food pantry begins at 8:00 a.m. in the fellowship building. To register, participants fill out an application and are given a number, not only tracking how many families participate, but also helping with organization.
Visiting the pantry one morning recently, I was humbled to see the grateful hearts of those who came for food. Many offered thanks for the facility and said they didn’t know what they would do without it. Three women I talked with said the food pantry helps by filling in the gaps when food stamps run out. Riding together to save gas, they waited in their car for several hours on a cold morning to be first in line.
To provide not only food, but support to the community on such a grand scale, volunteers must be a part of the process. With Mike training each volunteer for specific jobs, I was impressed to see even young adults and teenagers volunteering. Several of them had actually been with the program since the beginning.
To learn more about Mike or the Food Pantry, click here. If interested in volunteering your time or donating money, check out the South River United Methodist Church website. Not only will you be helping the needy, but you’ll also be helping Mike sleep a little better at night, hopefully, dreaming of a fully stocked food pantry for life. Now that’s what I’m talking about.
Congratulations, Mike Astrop and South River United Methodist Church! For your vision and efforts in serving your community, you are my favorite ministry of the week.
Do you know of a person or organization reaching out to others in your community? Leave a comment, message on Facebook or email dicysm@yahoo.com
Thanks,
Dicy
www.dicymcculloughbooks.com/blog
