Volunteers create new food bank in Fremont
By Ethan Smith
Published in News on September 8, 2014 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/ETHAN SMITH
Volunteers at the Fremont Food Bank help a Fremont resident select meat to take home. Different types of meat were served, including beef, pork and chicken.
FREMONT -- Heaps of food and household supplies filled the dining room of the First Missionary Baptist Church in Fremont Wednesday night as the first-ever food bank in Fremont got off the ground and began serving town residents.
Ira Reynolds, the pastor of the church, spearheaded the effort and was aided by volunteers Herlene Lewis, Yvonne Coley, Laqwisha Coley, Vera Coley, Ethel Barnes, Georgia Harper and Beatrice Jones.
"I thought it was what the church was supposed to do," Reynolds said. "If you really worship God, it will move you to serve the community. I feel that it's our duty."
First Missionary partnered with the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina to provide food and supplies for nearly 60 people Wednesday night. Food cost the church 18 cents per pound to buy from the food bank. The food was then divided up into equal portions among 60 bags and given to residents who came to the church.
Cleaning supplies cost $10 per case.
Any resident who came Wednesday night filled out a form stating they had received food, showed identification and were then given a number to be handed to the volunteers in the dining room to track how many people came.
Each person was allowed two to three loaves of bread, a bag of food filled with dry goods, a pack of yogurt, meat, a cantaloupe or peaches, and water or soda. If they had children, they received diapers.
"This is such a blessing. Just a blessing," said Eula Holden, a resident who came to receive food and supplies.
The food bank has been one month in the making. Reynolds and others went to Raleigh to train on proper procedures for running a food bank and then picked up the food from Raleigh last Tuesday.
From here on out, the First Missionary Baptist Church in Fremont at 410 S. Goldsboro St. will hand out food and supplies to residents the first and third Wednesday of every month.