Church in Fremont distributes water, food
By Joey Pitchford
Published in News on October 15, 2016 10:11 PM
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News-Argus/SETH COMBS
Parishioners and community members, from left to right, Leamon Jones, Patrice Smith, Edna Reid, Linda Coley, Shirley Best, Francis Ruffin and Lucialle Jones for an assembly line to stock the donated food in the chapel at First Missionary Baptist Church in Fremont on Friday.
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Minister Carson Sutten, left and and pastor Tony Sutten speak in the side yard of the First Missionary Baptist Church Friday morning during a food donation community event in Fremont.
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News-Argus/SETH COMBS
First Missionary Baptist Church Reverend Dr. Ira Reynolds, right, and pastor Tony Sutten during a food donation community event in Fremont Friday morning at First Missionary Baptist Church.
As Wayne County recovers from the devastation of Hurricane Matthew, people in communities like Fremont are doing what they can to help those in need.
The First Missionary Baptist Church at 410 S. Goldsboro St. in Fremont held a food drive Friday, with around 30 volunteers passing out non-perishable food and water to local residents who have yet to regain power.
Ira Reynolds, a pastor at First Missionary, said that while the Fremont area did not see the same severity of storm-related damage that other parts of Wayne County endured, water quality is a serious concern.
"Nobody is drinking the water here," he said. "That's the biggest problem, making sure people have enough water to drink."
The volunteers carried boxes of food and water bottles from large piles on wooden pallets, passing them in a line into the rear room of the church. First Missionary holds food drives every third Tuesday of the month, but was able to work with their partners at the Raleigh food pantry to push this one up by a few days.
First Missionary is home to Renewal Place, a non-profit organization which has partnered with the town of Fremont to provide affordable housing for low-income families in the area. Reynolds said that he hopes a new partnership with Leadership Wayne County will allow the church to do more for the community.
"Right now, we have to drag these pallets across the grass, which is hard work," he said. "We're hoping Leadership Wayne can put a ramp in here, and some double doors, which will allow us to move the pallets straight inside."
Reynolds said that such renovations might allow the church to step up its food pantry schedule to twice a month.
Shonda Reid has been attending church at First Missionary since she was a child. Now a teacher at Tommys Road elementary, she said that, especially while school is out after the storm, she couldn't sit around and let an opportunity to help pass her by.
"Everybody needs to help out in times like this," she said. "To see this many people come together for the community means a lot."