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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSandy and Sherri McKelvy supervise the food pantry, a ministry of First Baptist Manchester. Sherri orders the groceries from Second Harvest Food Bank. Then, with the help of Tracy Rutland, Jim Holtzclaw,\u00a0Nicole Davis, and Rick Schultz, the orders are unloaded and delivered to the campus. It\u2019s a team effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sherri said, \u201cMany say they used to just come and grab the food and go but now want to come and listen and be part of things. We\u2019re getting to know them as families, and they\u2019re really getting to know the Lord. It\u2019s more than feeding them; you\u2019re building relationships.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prepackaged USDA items are distributed o the first Monday of every month. The community can choose items from the pantry\u2019s shelves on all other Mondays.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once a month, the McKelvys pick up a semi-truck full of groceries and deliver them to First Baptist. Twice a month, they purchase perishables. From the church in Manchester, the pantry at Oakley is stocked weekly for distribution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sherri said, \u201cI try to get a variety of things, but the last year or so has been very challenging. It\u2019s getting even harder due to availability and price.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The center doesn\u2019t provide a week\u2019s groceries, but every little bit adds up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe feel like a lot of what we can help them with allows them to be able to utilize those finances for their other needs,\u201d said Sherri. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And when the pandemic hit, Oakley never missed a beat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sherri said, \u201cWe adjusted the way we did things. We just made it work because we felt like that was when they needed us the most.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The McKelvys see their work at Oakley as a labor of love. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019ve never done anything apart. We\u2019re pretty much inseparable. You feel how blessed you are and pray for the opportunity to do that for others,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s a mission, with its roots in the teaching, of one of the McKelvys\u2019 first pastors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRemember to be F.A.T. \u2013 faithful, available, and teachable,\u201d he taught.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sherri said, \u201cThat\u2019s how it started with both of us, and fortunately we\u2019ve been able to do that together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n For more information or to volunteer, visit First Baptist Manchester\u2019s website, manchesterfbc.com, its Facebook page, @manchesterfirstbaptist, or call (931) 728-2138. -GN\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" MONDAYS. THE most dreaded day of the week for many has become the most anticipated for the Oakley community in Hillsboro. When the doors of Oakley Ministry Center open at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, the neighborhood comes to life, and life comes to the neighborhood. Sounds of children laughing and playing punctuate adults\u2019 conversations. Volunteer […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":13481,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13466","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/DSC_3204-1024x683.jpg\")
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