By Ray Marcano

Food insecure residents in Allen County, KY., faced a problem.

The church that had been running a food distribution program for years could no longer do so, threatening to leave thousands of people without access to the free meals they needed.

Enter the Scottsville Church of Christ in Scottsville, KY., which stepped forward, without hesitation, to fill a void and use its ministry to help community members in need.

“When the opportunity presented itself, everyone was on board and excited to take on this new challenge and role in the community,” Terry Stinson, the church secretary who helps administer the food programs, said.

The small church is having a big impact locally. It now administers three food programs that serve hundreds of households each month.

Scottsville volunteered to take on the food distribution responsibility “because of the need in the community. This was a beneficial program for the community, and we wanted just to step in and carry it on,” Stinson said.

The need is certainly there. Allen County sits in a rural area of the state and abuts the Tennessee border. Nashville is the nearest major city and it’s 52 miles away. In Allen County, 14% of residents face food insecurity, according to Feeding America. Furthermore, 16.5% of the county’s 20,588 residents live in poverty, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. More than three dozen areas in Allen County are considered a food desert, according to one report.

Given these concerning numbers, there’s a clear need for reliable and consistent food distribution. With its new duties, Scottsville now runs three food distribution programs. It participates in the two Feeding America programs it took over in September — one for seniors 60 and over and one emergency food assistance program for anyone in the county who meets income requirements. Those programs provide food once a month.

It also participates in a retail program through Feeding America in which the church picks up surplus food from a local retailer and distributes it weekly. Neighbors come to the church, get a bag, and can fill it with milk, produce, frozen items, or whatever’s available. Stinson estimated that though this retailer program, the church distributes hundreds of pounds of food each month.

The church relies on a dozen or so volunteers to make the program go. In addition to the volunteer hours and Stinson’s time, Scottsville pays Feeding America about $200 a month to deliver the food to the church, purchases boxes used for food, and more.

The community is appreciative. “It’s wonderful. They tell us it’s such a blessing to them that it’s helping them feed their families,” Stinson said.

It’s a major undertaking for a small church of about 150 congregants each Sunday, but one that meets its ministry.

“Well, we’re just trying to help our fellow man.” Stinson said. “You know, we’re told to give food if anyone’s hungry, and we’re just trying to fulfill that commandment and help out in the community to feed the hungry.”

On its website, the church wrote: “We are a group of forgiven sinners striving to serve God and serve others as we journey through life here on earth.”

Nourishing the body and the soul certainly serves others, even when the service can seem like an immense undertaking.

“It seems overwhelming when you start thinking about it,” Stinson said. “But when you come together as a church, you can make it happen.”