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Every third Thursday, three churches alongside The Sonlight Center actively dedicates their time to serve the community through their monthly food drive. 

Members of Pelham Baptist Church, First Baptist Church alongside The Sonlight Center’s partner, Gospel Tabernacle Church, were contributors of the event, being active servants within Bloch Park’s parking lot last Thursday, providing food for those who were in need.

“This is our third truck load of food that we’ve had to start the day,” said Betty Oldroyd Overseer of Sonlight Ministries, which is an organization funded by Selma Roots. “We have celery, squash, zucchini, strawberries, pineapple and three different kinds of cookies, including sodas to give out to those today, who are in need.”

Last week, at least 400 cars were served and food from vegetables, fruits, and meat alongside other tasty meal items were packaged and packed in vehicles for the holiday season. 

“People have been in line since 6 a.m. this morning, waiting to be served,” 

Oldroyd said. “The word got out about the event through Facebook, where we shared it the night before, giving people a chance to arrive early and on time for the food drive.”

Oldroyd said it’s a given fact that they are faithfully at Bloch Park for the event every single month, given that sometimes they have more food that comes in, that needs to be distributed out to the those in need and she said the food giveaway is sometimes random but is still held on the same day. 

“It’s the same way even when its random,” Oldroyd said. Once we start, they call their neighbors and stuff, and they just start coming.” 

Oldroyd said the idea of community members driving up, opening their trunks, and allowing them to store the food was a more efficient and faster way to feed those need compared to their initial idea of having people getting out their cars and walking back and forth to partake in the food drive event.

Not only does the organization give food with their contributing partners, they also minister to those who are in need as well.

“My team members are helping distribute the food, being laborers using their backs, their muscles, but I’ve also got people going up and down the line and we’re sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with people using a form called the three circles educating about God’s design being perfect, how Sin separates us from God, how the world now is very broken and how we as Christians can overcome and lastly how Jesus is the truth, way and life to salvation. A lot of the people will tell us that they are already believers but we’ve actually seen a lot of people, because we come month to month and so there’s a lot of frequent flyers that encourage people to come through and get food and in doing so, they will hear the message surrounding Jesus Christ the first time in their life, getting  convicted of the sin in their life and they will surrender to the Lord,” said Sam Neugent, E3 Church Planting Mobilizer. 

Neugent said he feels the event correlates to the story of Jesus quite well and said Jesus was the perfect example of this event.

“When he would enter a town, he would raise the dead, heal the sick, he would make the blind to see and he would feed the hungry, and the story of the 4,000 people depicts that, God fed people because he realized if their stomach is growling, they’re not listening to him, so feeding  people, feeding the poor is a very important thing and I think what Betty is doing is an amazing thing for the community.”

Like Neugent, Pastor Walter Grayson of Gospel Tabernacle Church in Selma said he’s been a longtime contributor to Oldroyd’s organization, marking 15 years and said it’s very gratifying to be a part of the monthly food drive.

“We currently are in a food desert and because a lot of people don’t experience it, they don’t know how hard it is for some families to have food on the table, because we have so much. Sometimes, we think that everybody has what we have, and we don’t see the poverty in our community and food insecurity is sometimes hidden because it’s not always out front. So, it’s gratifying and it’s such a blessing to be able to do it.”

Grayson said he wants the community to know through this drive, they are there, and somebody cares. 

“We want you and your family to be blessed and to have food on the table for Christmas morning and if anytime, we can help know that somebody cares. It’s not such a special thing that is about us but it’s the Lord, Jesus Christ.  The reason we are doing this is because God gave us the hands and feet to come out and do it and that’s all we are is, the hand and feet of God.”

Oldroyd said for the holiday season, this event that was held last week, will conclude the food drive giveaway, making it the final one of the year.