First United Methodist Church’s food pantry is growing and accepting donations

Published 6:11 pm Monday, May 29, 2023

By Danielle Morin

Star Correspondent

First United Methodist Church of Elizabethton’s food pantry is growing and accepting donations. After its installation two years ago, Mission Board Chair Susan Hathaway said the utilization of the free resource was so large that they had trouble fitting enough food into it to meet the needs of the community.

“In my Sunday school class, one of the class members said, ‘Well, why don’t we build a bigger one?’ And I said, ‘Well, why don’t we?’” Hathaway explained, “So I asked the men’s group if they would be interested in doing it, and they said ‘Yes’.”

The new pantry, whose size is double that of its predecessor, was designed and built by church members Gary Bruggeman, Mike Manuel, and Glen Phillips in March.

Since its installation, Hathaway said the use of it has been prominent. “The community neighbors utilize it all the time,” she said, “Just the other day, I was coming in and somebody yelled out from their car, ‘Thank you!’ and pointed to it.”

The bigger pantry will mean more free resources to those in need than they could previously offer. “I’m real excited about it now because we’ve never had one this big,” Hathaway explained, “and like we can put sunblock in it and little blessing bags and things this summer. And we also put health supplies like Band-Aids, toothbrushes, toothpaste, bars of soap, shampoo – we put things like that in it as well. Blankets in the winter.” Hathaway said the pantry also lists other free food resources throughout the area in case theirs ever goes dry.

Aside from the impact the pantry has had on those in need, preschool teacher Cassie Franklin said she hopes it will have just as much of an impact on her three and four-year-old students who attend the church’s preschool. Franklin occasionally assists the children in filling up the pantry. “My goal behind it is mainly to show community service and that we are the hands and feet, the body of Christ. And to teach them when they’re young, that even though they are young, that they can still help others in a certain way,” she said.

Food or other donations can be dropped off at any time by visiting the pantry which sits on the right side of the church building along Elm Street. Or, community members can make financial donations by visiting online at www.fumcelizabethton.com, clicking the “Donate” button at the top of the screen, and selecting “Missions: Food Ministries.”