Food Security | Keene Church Members Are Blessing Families with Food
Rick Weaver
Food insecurity (not having enough food) is one of the biggest issues for many families in the Keene area. Without meals provided through public schools, many children would not be able to eat. This is changing through an initiative launched by the Keene Seventh-day Adventist Church called LIFT.
LIFT, an acronym for Love, Inspire and Fill, Together, began in November of 2018 with a community food pantry open once a month for the community to take home 20-40 pounds of food. Throughout this past year, the LIFT food pantry has grown and doubled in size with more than 1,000 individuals receiving food each month and more than 100 volunteers serving.
LIFT has also expanded its ministry into the public schools by providing “Blessing Bags” to students at three schools in the Keene Independent School District.
The Keene church family donates kid-friendly food packed in Blessing Bags that are delivered each week. The food is confidentially given to students that have signed up for the program. Currently, more than 65 bags are prepared and delivered.
We are excited to find new ways to show the love of Christ through the simple act of being there for our community and ministering to their physical needs. This is opening doors that have never been opened before for us to love, connect and share with our community.
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The article originally appeared in the March/April 2020 issue of the Southwestern Union Record | issuu.com/swurecord
Original Submission
The Keene Church Tackles Hunger in the Community
Food insecurity (not having enough food) is one of the biggest issues for many families that live in the area surrounding Keene. Many children, without meals provided through public schools, would not be able to eat. This is now changing through an initiative the Keene Church launched called LIFT.
LIFT is a ministry of the Keene Church and is an acronym for Love, Inspire, and Fill, Together. LIFT started in November of 2018 by establishing a Community Food Pantry that is open once a month for the community to take home 20-40 pounds of food. Over the last year, the LIFT food pantry has grown and is double in size with over 1000 individuals receiving food each month and over 100 volunteers helping serve.
LIFT has also expanded its ministry into the public schools by providing “Blessing Bags” to students at three schools in the Keene Independent School District. The Keene Church family donates kid-friendly foods and the “Blessing Bags” are packed with the donated food and delivered each week to the Keene public schools. The food is confidentially given to students that have signed up for the program. Currently, over 65 bags are prepared and delivered each week to students.
“We are excited to find new ways to show the love of Christ through the simple act of being there for our community and ministering to their physical needs. This is opening doors that have never been opened before for us to love, connect, and share with our community.”