Food Ministry Team Helps to Feed the Hungry in Our Community

“We had no idea what we were getting involved in,” Janet said. At that time, the food drives were smaller in scale than today. Eight or nine families each received a box of food.

Under the Heckathorns’ leadership, that ministry has grown substantially. With the Heckathorns, Linda and Mitch McGrew, Melanie Milner, and Kristen Wenskovitch were part of the Food Ministry team before its more recent expansion.

The Food Ministry team today [in November 2019] includes Linda Bergman, Russ and Deb Bush, Tracy Ekstam, Tamara Fedin, Bill and Sue Kooser, the McGrews, and Milner.

The children’s ministry FISH group helps with food drives, and this fall Dutilh’s preschool students and families are participating as well. The entire church is involved through the generous donation of food items and financial support to purchase food.

In Easter 2019, Dutilh Church served 24 families in need, identified through both the Mars and Seneca Valley School Districts. Every family received five kitchen-size garbage bags full of food plus a grocery store gift card to purchase perishable items. This Thanksgiving, the Food Ministry team has committed to feeding 28 local families.

Today, the Food Ministry also distributes food year-round through some of Dutilh’s ministry partners in the community.

“Since we continued to get regular donations, we felt that we could do more by providing donations when available to the VOICe temporary shelter and Gleaners Food Bank,” Janet explained. “We also provide quarterly monetary donations to Gleaners to support their mission to provide each of their clients with healthier food options, such as fresh dairy products, meats, and produce. In 2020, we are pleased to include the Evans City Food Cupboard as a ministry partner.”

Janet says they welcome and encourage new volunteers to become part of the Food Ministry team. Her typical time commitment is about two hours per month, Janet said. Preparation and execution of the Thanksgiving and Easter food drives require more time. The Heckathorns spend about ten hours organizing each food drive ahead of time. The last day of the food drive involves about six hours of sorting and arranging food, shopping for food items needed to complete each family’s gift, and working with Dutilh’s FISH group to fill the bags. The donations are delivered the next day to Haine Middle School and Mars High School for the families to pick up.

The rewards of service are well worth the investment of time, Janet said.

“It is so fulfilling to know that we can make a difference in the lives of people in our community.  In 2017, an estimated 1 in 8 Americans were food insecure, equating to 40 million Americans including more than 12 million children.  It impacts every community in the United States,” Janet explained. “These are our neighbors! Further, the generosity of our congregation is heartfelt and we get to worship alongside these wonderful people.”

Larry said two factors are his biggest motivation for doing this ministry.

“Knowing families in need are going to have something to eat for the holidays—that’s why we do it,” Larry said. “Also, we love working with all the volunteers at Dutilh—getting to know the volunteers who help with food, the FISH kids that bag the food, and the preschool kids. It’s great to see their enthusiasm.”

The food ministry is a tangible way that Dutilh Church can live out its mission to love God, love others, and love to serve. Pastor Tom Parkinson said, “In the Lord’s Prayer we ask God to ‘give us this day our daily bread.’  Through the food ministry, God uses our church to answer that prayer for local families.”

One of the most memorable moments for Janet occurred this spring.

“During Dutilh Church's EGG-cellent Adventure in April, a mom from one of the families that received food from our Easter food drive reached out to Pastor Tom and personally thanked him. She expressed what it meant to her and her family,” Janet said. All the recipients receive information about Dutilh Church, Dutilh Preschool, and any upcoming special events along with their food donations. Janet was gratified that the food drive helped one of those families make a connection with Dutilh Church through the flashlight egg hunt.

Food ministry coordinators ask that donated items are not past the “use by” date; each container must have the original manufacturer’s label, be unopened, unsoiled, and free of any defects to avoid contamination. If applicable, the safety seal must be intact. If these conditions are not met, they must discard the item. For a list of needed items or for more information, check out https://www.dutilhumc.org/food-ministry. To get involved with the Food Ministry team as a volunteer, contact Debbie Mariotti at debmariotti@ymail.com or (724) 991-5580.