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Churches work together to help feed the hungry
By LINDA M. LINONIS
youngstown
Partnering has proved to be a powerful outreach tool for Victory Lutheran Church, 2110 Glenwood Ave.
The city church collaborates with Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Canfield on free breakfasts, and volunteers from Bethlehem Lutheran Church assist at food giveaways, both offered the fourth Saturday of the month.
Leotha Arnold, a member at Victory for some 65 years, has volunteered at the food bank giveaway for 30 years and now supervises it. “Happiness is about helping people,” she said.
Pastor Hosea Ekong, who has served at Victory for 14 years, said the food giveaway and free breakfast are two ways “that God gives us the opportunity to meet the needs of people.”
Since the food bank was long-established at the church, a free meal works well as a complementary activity.
The breakfast has been offered “a good 12 years,” said Judith Lobaugh, a 25-year member of Lord of Life, who coordinates the breakfasts. Lord of Life provides food and manpower.
The breakfast evolved out of a conversation Lobaugh was having with her husband, John, as they were taking their grandchildren to the circus downtown. “We were talking about outreach in the community and drove by Victory,” she said.
The location of the city church provides easier access for those who needed outreach services, Lobaugh said. “We centered on community need and how best to meet them,” she said.
Lobaugh said she sees volunteers as “the avenue through which God works.”
“It’s the spirit of God,” she said of the motivation. “We get back a lot more than we give.”
The activity also has provided youths who volunteer with a valuable learning experience, she said.
Pastor Ekong said people enjoy the hearty breakfasts that usually include scrambled eggs, croissants, sausage or ham, coffee, orange juice and milk. “They just love the grits,” he said, adding that the Southern corn-based, porridge-style dish is a “must.”
Lobaugh said it takes between five and seven people from Lord of Life to prepare the breakfasts. She and her husband and Ken Welch are among regulars.
Attendance at the breakfasts ranges from 80 to 100 people; the number of those eligible for groceries varies but is in that range and often higher. “God has blessed us to be able to do this. We are the conduit,” he said. “We’re able to channel the resources for people in need.”
The pastor said church volunteers have come to know those who get groceries and have breakfast. “We have a good relationship," he said. Bethlehem volunteers pack grocery bags and help distribute.
Lobaugh said feedback over the years has been gratifying. The relationships are valued, she said, and volunteers know their efforts are appreciated.
She also noted Lord of Life had worked with Victory to offer an after-school tutoring program for at-risk children, now at Christ Church Presbyterian. Pastor Ekong is on the advisory board.