Members of a Franklin church saw a need in rural Johnson and Shelby counties, so they worked together to fill it.
Starting Friday, Second Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church’s I Care Food Pantry will offer non-perishable food and supplies on the second and fourth Friday and Saturday of each month.
The church has been in operation for about 200 years, and at its current building at County Road 800 East and County Road 150 North since the 1920s. Positioned on the edge of Johnson County, the church has given back in many ways to both Johnson and Shelby County residents for two centuries, said Tracy Slinkard, who serves on the church’s food pantry committee.
The small but generous congregation of 50 strives to give back in any way they are able to, and the pantry is the latest example of that. The pantry is their way of sharing God’s love with the community through service, Slinkard said.
With 18 involved, about a quarter of the congregation has been actively planning and setting up the pantry since its inception in February. There is a budget set aside for the pantry, but with so many in the congregation giving food, they haven’t had to tap into that yet, she said.
“Our church family has given to the point where I’m sure it has hurt their own food budgets,” Slinkard said.
The idea for the pantry sprang from a sense of helplessness watching neighbors struggle with nutrition gaps, toilet paper shortages and other hardships during the coronavirus pandemic. Though the pandemic is waning, the church can still see needs in the community, just like there were needs before the pandemic, said Janice Conway, another committee member.
“We can’t let this happen again,” Conway said. “We got to thinking that there are so many families in need. Maybe they are back to work now but they had a whole year of this and they need to catch up.”
Pastor Gerald Holmes brought up the idea, and about 18 volunteers banded together over the last several months to gather food and organize the pantry to curb hunger and help families recover from the pandemic, Slinkard said.
Giving back is what God calls Christians to do, and it is part of Holmes’s three-pronged mission to grow the congregation.
“Second Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church is a church on a mission. We are here for others,” Holmes said.
The pantry offers supplemental food assistance including nonperishable foods and limited toiletries and baby supplies. Depending on need and family size, participants are eligible for certain items. Generally, the pantry offers a choice of five full, family-size dinners and a variety of grab bags filled with side dishes, breakfast foods, lunch items and baking ingredients that families may choose from, Slinkard said.
Everyone will also get a Pastor’s Bag which includes breakfast foods, snacks and candy to help children start the day and have a treat. Families with a birthday that month will also receive a birthday bag, which includes a few party supplies, a cake mix and a can of frosting packaged in a gift bag, she said.
“It is not enough to have a huge party, but it is something to make them feel special,” Slinkard said. “That way mom and dad can spend that $10 somewhere else.”
The food pantry is operating on the honor system with no specific requirements to show need. Families in need are encouraged to come one time per month, but exceptions could be made if there is a special circumstance such as a new job loss, she said.
“There’s no judgement here. You don’t know (when you could need help). For all I know, I could need help next week,” Slinkard said.
The church will also provide a copy of the New Testament to each family it serves. The book doubles as a contact card, as information about the church is printed on the cover.
Pantry-goers are also welcome to submit prayer requests and receive counseling during pantry hours, but this is not a requirement. All are welcome to seek help at the pantry, regardless of religious affiliation, she said.
“This is an opportunity to get to know people, to present the gospel if they so wish and to welcome them because they are our neighbors,” Slinkard said. “We will probably know them and we will be happy to see them.”
Children are welcome to join their guardians for the trip to the pantry. During pantry hours, the church will provide entertainment including a children’s movie and coloring pages to keep kids busy while adults seek the help they need, she said.
Later this summer, the church will add school supplies to the pantry to prepare families with children and teenagers heading back to school.
The church also plans to organize a coat drive in September, already dubbed Addie’s Coats for Kids, in memory of Adalynn Jessen, a local four year old who died recently after a battle with DIPG, a rare brain cancer. Jessen’s family attends the church, and the drive organizers wanted to give back to honor her memory, Conway said.
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I Care Food Pantry
What: Grab bags filled with non-perishable food items, choice of five full meals, birthday kits, toiletries, laundry detergent and baby items.
When: Second and Fourth Friday, 3 to 6 p.m.; Second and Fourth Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: Second Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church, 1540 North 800 East, Franklin
Source: I Care Food Pantry
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