A little over two years ago, as chair of nurture for Fairview Church of the Brethren in Unionville, Iowa, Ashley Brinegar proposed a food bank project to the church board. She had been volunteering in the community and felt there was a great need in the church’s rural area.
A partnership was formed with the Iowa Food Bank after a state inspection and a required nutrition class, but the church effort still had to rely solely on donations.
Recently, Fairview hasn’t had to worry about funds with the help of Northern Plains District’s “Jesus in the Neighborhood” grant and other donations.
Each month, Brinegar and the volunteers who work with her on the project fill 72 packages of food. Members of the congregation deliver 22 of these packages to elderly shut-ins. Another 50 packages are picked up by community members in need. Many of these people are elderly, but they range in age. In a recent month, the church’s food bank fed 120 individuals and 74 families. The total cost is around $400 per month.
Throughout this project, Fairview has been able to reach so many families of all ages. Fairview is not just a church, it is a family—here to look after God’s people and to help when they can.
—Ashley Brinegar