Global Food Initiative grants support ministries of congregations in Florida, Maryland, and Pennsylvania

Programs receiving grants from the Global Food Initiative include (at left) Ephrata (Pa.) Church of the Brethren’s Mountaineers’ Table Ministry and (at right) the Food Bank Ministry of Alpha and Omega Community Center in Lancaster, Pa. Photos courtesy of GFI

The latest set of grants from the Church of the Brethren’s Global Food Initiative (GFI) support ministries of congregations in Florida, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Also, global church leaders in East Africa received support to attend an agricultural training symposium.

Find out more about the GFI

Support these grants financially

Florida

An allocation of $2,500 supports a food pantry and Wednesday Night Meals at Lighthouse Community Church of the Brethren in Sebring, Fla. Every Wednesday evening, the church feeds approximately 100 people, providing both a meal and a time of worship and scripture study. On Fridays, the church operates a food pantry, providing both groceries and an opportunity to pray with community members in times of need. The grant supports food purchases for both ministries.

Maryland

An allocation of $2,500 supports Union Bridge (Md.) Church of the Brethren’s Plot of Hope Farm. For two years, Plot of Hope has been part of the congregation’s ministry. Church and community members garden together and provide access to free produce to all who need it. On its third year of existence, Plot of Hope will be transitioning from a small garden to an urban farm located on a 4.5-acre parcel owned by the church, originally intended for a church expansion. The grant will support plant and seed purchases, with seedlings purchased from the local high school vocational programs.

Pennsylvania

An additional allocation of $2,500 supports Ephrata (Pa.) Church of the Brethren’s Mountaineers’ Table Ministry that provides food to 112 families on a weekly basis. The families in the program all have children who qualify for free or reduced lunches at school. Mountaineers’ Table typically distributes a box of groceries and at least one bag of produce, seeking to sustain families with children over the weekend and throughout summer when free meals at school are not available. The grant supports the purchase of affordable protein options to be included in food distribution, including nut butters and meat.

An additional allocation of $2,500 support the Food Bank Ministry of Alpha and Omega Community Center in Lancaster, Pa. The center is connected to Alpha and Omega Church of the Brethren and also is supported by several other congregations in the Church of the Brethren’s Atlantic Northeast District. The Food Bank Ministry serves nearly 100 families (approximately 500 to 600 individuals) each month including single parents, elderly residents, and newly arrived immigrants facing economic hardship. These families visit the food bank once or twice each month, depending on their level of need. Like many food pantries and food banks across the country, this ministry has been affected by federal and state cuts to grants for food banks, while economic challenges and cuts to SNAP have led to more people needing aid. The grant will fund the acquisition of essential food items from the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank.

East Africa

An allocation of up to $15,000 was given to support attendance by eight Church of the Brethren leaders from Burundi, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Rwanda at the ECHO East Africa Sustainable Agriculture and Appropriate Technology Symposium in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in late June. The symposium was a network and training opportunity for those involved in alleviating hunger and poverty in east and southern Africa. According to ECHO, participants included lead farmers, extension workers, development workers, donors, government officials, and others interested in rural or agricultural development

#MissionAndMinistryBoard #StrategicPlan #RacialJustice #LoveOurNeighbors #Discipleship #NewTestamentGiving

———-

Find more Church of the Brethren news: