WS Chronicle

Every week in the month of October, Galilee Missionary Baptist Church is giving away thousands of meals to the community.

The idea for the giveaway came to Galilee Senior Pastor Nathan Scovens from Rev. Dr. Robert L. McGowens, senior pastor of Greater Galilee Baptist Church.

“He (McGowens) gave me a call and asked me if we were interested in being a hub site and I told him naturally we would and it would be a privilege and an honor to work with him on this project,” said Scovens. “It’s in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Baptist Convention USA Inc. It is called Farm to Families.”

As the calendar turns toward the fall and winter months, this means the holiday season is rapidly approaching.  Scovens said he is aware of the need for food in the community, especially this time of the year.

“It is extremely rewarding and our motto as a church is ‘We have been blessed to be a blessing,’ so it’s part of our mission statement to build community and change lives,” Scovens said about the pleasure he gets by helping the community. “We are honored and excited every week to do this for the past three or four weeks.”

According to Scovens, the partnership with Galilee and the program will end at the end of the month. He said he was not anticipating the large turnout they have seen each week, but was pleased to assist so many families.

“I had no idea it would be like this,” he said. “One of the things we discovered is that it hasn’t just been the East Winston community. There have been people from all over Winston-Salem and even the Triad that have been a part of this.

“It was surprising, but at the same time, with so many people hurting and needing help, we are getting folks from all walks of life.”

Scovens says he did not give it a second thought when approached with the idea. He said he just knew it was an opportunity to help the community and is in line with who they are and what they are as a church and ministry.

Galilee is partnering with other churches in the area for the food giveaway, as well as with the local fire department.  Scovens says he did not want to “be selfish,” but instead wanted to get as many people involved as possible.

To receive a food box, families are not required to show an identification, and of course, they are free of charge.  Scovens says he understands everyone does not have reliable transportation, so individuals are allowed to pick up boxes for family and friends.

“We have tried to make sure that if there is more than one household in one car, we give them more than one box,” Scovens said. “Some people have even picked up boxes for senior citizens. We try to honor that and take people at their word and thankfully, we have been able to meet a lot of needs for people and the community has been great about being trustworthy and making sure that everyone has the opportunity to receive something.”

The giveaway typically starts at 11:30 a.m. each week and Scovens says they stay until every box has been given away. He said they receive nothing but positive remarks from the recipients of the food boxes.

“We get several reactions as people are driving through the lines and many of them leave with smiles on their faces and they offer words of gratitude and say thank you,” he said. “We are not looking for anything, but some have offered thanks and said ‘God bless you,’ which was more than enough for us.”

The next food giveaway will happen today, Oct. 22 at 11:30 a.m., but the following week the giveaway will take place on Oct. 30. Scovens said he invites the community to also join the church for their Public Safety Drive-Thru Fall Festival on Saturday, Oct. 31, from 2-4 p.m. at the church.