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Food program also nourishes the soul

Tierney Harvey
Posted 7/26/17

MIDDLEBURG – The Middleburg United Methodist Church Food Bridge only distributes items on Thursday, but volunteers work every day to sort and pack the food items. As they work, brown paper bags …

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Food program also nourishes the soul


Posted

MIDDLEBURG – The Middleburg United Methodist Church Food Bridge only distributes items on Thursday, but volunteers work every day to sort and pack the food items. As they work, brown paper bags cover every surface of the long tables spanning the room.

The church’s volunteers work to collect and distribute food to those in need began as a humanitarian effort, but according to Food Bridge Coordinator Craig Van Gundy, it quickly became a way for volunteers to build community and share their love of Christ. He said once the volunteers are finished with their work at the Food Bridge, they talk and pray together, and they’ve become a tight-knit group.

That goes for attendees too. Van Gundy said several months ago, a woman shared her story that after a struggle with serious financial and health issues, she planned to kill herself, but changed her mind after coming to the Food Bridge and finding the community there.

Van Gundy said the goal of the Food Bridge is to help people through periods of hardship, for people between jobs or paychecks. For long-term help, he said, they need housing assistance and budgeting help, which the Food Bridge can’t provide.

Van Gundy said the church doesn’t require clients to show proof of income, although they are asked to sign a form stating their monthly household expenses are greater than 80 percent of their income. Clients do need to show identification and proof of household size.

The Food Bridge is open every Thursday from 9:30-11:30 a.m., but volunteers work all week to get things ready, Van Gundy said. He said they have a refrigerated truck they use five days a week to pick up goods from several retail stores.

Once the goods have been unloaded at the Food Bridge, they must be weighed and recorded before they can be packed up for donations. Feeding Northeast Florida helps manage contracts and also provides food for the church program, Van Gundy said.

There is music and a devotion before food is served Thursday, he said. According to Van Gundy, it’s like a church service, and although clients aren’t required to attend to get their food, the food is a tool to lead people to the church. He said the goal is to get those people into a Christian community, whether with MUMC or somewhere else.

On Saturday is the Bread Basket, Van Gundy said. In addition to the bread, he said the church gives out any perishables they’ve collected that won’t last until the next week’s Food Bridge.

The church also has a clothes closet, which is usually open on Saturday, and a backpack program to provide children meals during the weekend. Van Gundy said the church works with guidance counselors at Middleburg and Shadowlawn Elementary schools to identify low-income children who receive the weekend backpacks. MUMC volunteers pack drawstring backpacks full of food and snack items to get kids through the weekend.

The Middleburg United Methodist Church is located at 3925 Main St in Middleburg. For more information, call (904) 282-5589 and visit the website at middleburgumc.org.

This week, along with its regular food program, Food Bridge will help ease the burden by distributing school supplies to families in need by passing out school supplies.

Families can line up at 8 a.m. with distribution running from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Along with food, items being distributed include pencils, paper, composition notebooks, crayons, scissors and any other items on Clay County District Schools’ requirement list.

While 57 percent of the individuals and families Feeding Northeast Florida services have jobs, many are forced to make tough decisions about where to focus their funds, and often feeding their family comes last.