2018 South District Baptist Association “Cans of Miracles” food drive report
Published 6:00 am Friday, April 13, 2018
- The volunteers of Immanuel and members of First Baptist who help unload a trailer full of food for the Immanuel Baptist Food Pantry pose together. They are, from left: back row, Joe Martin, Scott Hurst, Bud Jeffries, Alice Sherrow, Mark Harris, Eddie Sherrow, Jennifer Newby, Abraham Mikels and Andy Mikels. Front row, Fred Worley, Ester Martin, Wendy Marsee, Amy Faulkner, Mary Adams, Judy Middleton, Joan Devine, Connie Selvey and Ed Miller.
SDBA
Press release
Once again, 16 churches of South District Baptist Association (SDBA) banded together for their ninth annual food drive this year, “Cans of Miracles.” They were challenged to love, share and be a miracle for a hungry family locally and in Eastern Kentucky.
A total of 53,948 items were donated to share with the smaller food pantries of Perryville Baptist, Immanuel Baptist, Gethsemane Baptist and Casey County food pantry.
It also was used to help Danville’s largest food pantry “New Hope” and a larger food bank in Eastern Kentucky called God’s Appalachian Partnership, or GAP. Those 16 churches were Beech Grove, Calvary, Danville First, Doctors Fork, Gethsemane, Junction City, New Journey, North Rolling Fork, Parksville, Perryville, Perryville First, Pleasant Hill, Pleasant Run, Salt River and, our smallest church, Southern Heights Baptist.
The volunteers at New Hope wish to thank all the different churches which brought food to New Hope Food Pantry. Each year at this time we know we can count on South District Baptist Churches to bring us a bounty of food and other items with which to share with our friends and neighbors here in Danville and Boyle County. Thank you so much! (Pastor Ron McCowan Bethel Baptist, Cheryl Railey and Rose Daugherty)
Kroger once again allowed one of the churches to collect donations of food in the front of a store. Many local and some out-of-town people gave as they left the store with smiling faces and a “thank you” for making it possible and easy to help those in need, but two stories stood out.
The first was a mother and her four children who, as they were placing a few bags of food in the box, said, “Remember, we are paying it forward because — without someone giving at Christmas — you wouldn’t have gotten any Christmas presents.”
The other story came from two men who were here from Louisiana working on a project who said, “Yes we will help.” They brought several bags of food out then went back into the store and returned a second time with more, including an entire case of soup.
They were asked if there was a story behind their generosity. One of them said, “Yes ma’am, there is. You see I grew up in an orphanage my whole childhood and folks donated food to us. I just have to give back.”
All this tied into our motto, “Be the Miracle” from the song “Be the Miracle” by Mark Lowry as well as the scripture verse Proverbs 3:27-28a (the Message): “Never walk away from someone who deserves help for your hand is God’s hand for that person. Don’t tell your neighbor maybe some other time.”
Volunteers (back row) Josh McWherter,Mark Harris and Joan Mann, with GAP director John Morris, stand with volunteers (front row) Kaelyn and Tasha McWherter, Kathy Henson and Tera Mullins
SDBA would like to thank Kroger for allowing a church to collect food there. Also, all of the folks in the community who provided a little miracle, as well as the 16 great churches of SDBA.
Next year will be SDBA’s 10th anniversary.
