WS Chronicle

Uncertain times such as these call for everyone who is able to pitch in and lend a helping hand. Here in Forsyth County in response to the COVID-19 epidemic, we’ve seen a groundswell of organizations, non-profits, churches, businesses, and individuals come forward and do their part. And for the past two weeks, Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest N.C. has been doing their part to ensure children across the state don’t go hungry. 

The nonprofit is the primary source of food for more than 470 food assistance programs in 18 counties across Northwest N.C. Less than a week after Gov. Roy Cooper closed schools across the state, Second Harvest leaped into action, setting up food distribution sites across the state.

Here in Forsyth County, the effort was organized with help from the City of Winston-Salem, the Ministers’ Conference of Winston-Salem and Vicinity, Providence Kitchen, and Love Out Loud. Throughout the week, make-shift drive-thru lines are set up at various locations throughout the city where families can pick up the meals while still adhering to social distancing orders. 

Chuck Spong, executive director of Love Out Loud, said that after starting with just a few locations locations, after the first week they saw the need to add three more locations to better serve the community. One of those locations is Greater Commission Community Church located at the corner of Ogburn Avenue and Akron Drive. Pastor Gloria Samuels applauded organizers for putting everything together. 

She said when she was approached with the opportunity to be a host site, she saw it as her duty to say yes. 

“This is truly a community effort. The mayor, the food bank, the ministers’ alliance, said what can we do? We have to put something in place,” Samuels continued. “They called different churches in different pockets of the community and when they called us, as the leader of this church, I said absolutely. There’s no way we’re going to let somebody go hungry if we can help it.” 

Samuels said she understands that when times get hard, some people may resort to taking desperate measures to provide for their families and she wanted to be a part of the solution. “What I’ve found is desperate people will resort to things they wouldn’t normally do, so we wanted to make sure if you need food, food is available.”

According to Samuels, meal distribution begins at Greater Commission Monday-Friday from 3:30 until 4:30 p.m. Other churches and organizations distributing meals throughout the week include The Love Church, Winston Lake YMCA, and Whole Man Ministries, just to name a few. Below is a complete list of food distribution sites and times.  

2- 3 p.m.

Elevation Church 

1300 S. Main Street, 27127

Winston Lake YMCA

901 Waterworks Road, 27101

Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church 

1400 Fitch Street, 27107 

3:30-4:30 p.m.

Great Commission Community Church 

3733 Ogburn Avenue, 27105 

Life Changing Transformation Church 

2001 E. 25th Street, 27105

5- 6 p.m.

Shiloh Baptist Church 

916 E. 12 Street, 27101

NAACP

4130 Oak Ridge Drive, 27105

St. John CME 

350 NW Crawford Place, 27105

Iglesia Cristiana Sin Fronteras 

5490 Shattalon Drive, 27106

6- 7 p.m.

The Love Church

4198 Cherry Street, 27105

Whole Man Ministries 

3916 Old Lexington Road, 27107

The Saltbox 

1650 Ivy Avenue, 27105