Church event distributes produce to feed the local hungry

Parishioners at Gospel Water Branch Baptist Church say it takes a village to feed a family.

That's why members of the Evans church are participating in a communitywide project called the Manna Truck Distribution to feed the hungry.

The event will take place at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at the church, located at 703 Furys Ferry Road.

"There are a lot of people out there that can use some help," Earl Richardson, a church member and coordinator of the project, said about the event, which is held by the church's Benevolent Ministry. "I know about how many people really need food because I'm the vice president for the food pantry Columbia County Cares."

Co-sponsored by the Golden Harvest Food Bank in Augusta, the church pays the food bank $150 to give away 5,000 pounds of fresh produce such as squash, zucchini, tomatoes, eggplant, lettuce, watermelons and more to needy families in the area.

Richardson said participants are asked to provide information regarding a family's population for the food bank's statistics.

For the past three years, Richardson said, the church has been committed to feeding 150 to 200 families each year.

"Two years ago, we had a federal grant that actually pays for these trucks, but the grant ran out. My pastor said we can continue this, so we took (this project) on to try to get a truck every month," he said.

Throughout the next seven months, the church plans to give away produce, Richardson said.

"We're just doing this as a public service," he said.

For more information, call Richardson at 796-4975 during the day or 210-1984 in the evening.