Cordova UMC lending support to neighbors

CORDOVA — Cordova United Methodist Church is helping distribute meals and dry goods to the community through the USDA Farmers to Families Food Box program.

The church started in March of this year to address gaps in food availability after the peak of the pandemic.

“We’re just trying go make sure were taking care of people in the neighborhood and folks in our church,” volunteer Martha Campbell said. “We don’t want anyone to go hungry.”

Around 50 boxes are distributed at each event. They’re feeding between 140-150 individuals with the boxes.

A grant from the North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church has provided thousands of dollars to close the hunger gap in Richmond County.

“We freely receive and we freely give, no questions,” said Rev. Michael Griffin. “It doesn’t matter whether they’re working or not, it’s to provide for them.”

Many of the individuals are taking boxes to their neighborhoods to share with individuals who can’t pick it up at the church. There are no prerequisites to benefit from the program.

Jimmy Hancock has been picking up many of the items from Place of Grace Campus since March.

“We’re trying to help them out because a lot people can’t make it over to Place of Grace,” Hancock said. “It’s filling a real big need in the community. It helps a lot of people out during the pandemic who may be out of work.”

Griffin said that the key to this type of outreach is consistency and building trust with the community.

Cordova UMC distribute their food on the first and third Wednesday of each month at 9:30 a.m. East Rock UMC will be joining the initiative at their own church on the final Wednesday of each month.