IL churches distribute food

A total of 142 vehicles lined up April 10 to get groceries from the Second Harvest food truck at Belair United Methodist Church, some of them arriving as early as 7:20 a.m.
About 45 volunteers from Belair and Faith Presbyterian Church, which sponsored the distribution, as well as other area churches, sorted the food as the recipients waited in a line that snaked through Belair’s cemetery.
“We never know what’s going to be on the truck until it comes in and we open the doors,” said Jim Northrup, an elder with Faith Presbyterian Church.
This time, it was frozen chicken tenders, bread, cakes, canned drinks, potato chips, canned goods and more. So much more that even after everyone had received their groceries, there was enough left over to completely fill the 22-cubic-foot freezer in Belair’s food pantry.
A pickup truck full of frozen chicken tenders, cakes and potato chips were taken to Christian Services and the  Lancaster Children’s Home, as well as the senior center.
“I feel it was a very successful morning and our ministry is reaching many people with needs in our community,” Northrup said.

Jane Alford/editor

Volunteers from Belair United Methodist and Faith Presbyterian churches, as well as other area churches, help unload a truck from Second Harvest of Metrolina food bank April 10 in the parking lot of Belair UMC.

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Jane Alford/editor

Belair United Methodist Church member David Wiltsie, right, and Eddie Bracey Sr. with Hermon Presbyterian Church in Rock Hill, load groceries into the trunk of a car during the food distribution. In the background, Robert Adams with Gold Hill AME Zion Church directs traffic.

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This is the second year the churches have sponsored the food trucks, with attendance increasing steadily, from about 90 a year ago to a peak of almost 200 at the distribution just before last Thanksgiving.
This was the first of at least three trucks sponsored by the two churches this year. The other Second Harvest mobile food pantries are scheduled for June 28 and Oct. 11.
Belair also operates a food pantry for Indian Land residents twice a month, usually on the first and third Thursday of the month. Donations of food or cash may be dropped off at the church office.
For more information about the mobile food pantry, call Faith Presbyterian Church at (803) 548-8810.