“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ Matthew 25:24-40
An important mission of Morrisville Presbyterian Church is the provision of food to people who come to us in need. The Food Center at MPC officially began in 1997 when a small committee was formed to handle the increasing requests made to the Church for food assistance. Until that time this responsibility rested upon the Church staff that responded to an average of 30 requests a month.
Currently the Food Center provides food to more than 485 families a month. Some of these are people confronting a temporary but significant financial strain because of a loss of a job, a major illness, a loss or break-up in a family. Others are people, mostly infirm, elderly, or unskilled, who just cannot make ends meet, having to make choices between paying for heat, prescription medicines, or groceries.
We try to provide a balance of nutritious foods that will sustain a family for 3-4 days. We also try to do this in a cost-efficient manner by purchasing food in bulk at reduced rates and collecting donated food. Every week we shop at Aldi’s, a warehouse supermarket; every week we collect donated produce at Philabundance in Philadelphia; every week volunteers pick up donated breads and baked goods from various supermarkets, bagel shops, and bakeries. Bi-weekly we purchase food at the local food bank in Trenton; bi-weekly we collect unmarketable goods from a supermarket in Robbinsville, NJ. Every week we pack 120 bags of groceries. Every week we set-up and transform Fellowship Hall into a food distribution center and host, on average, close to 140 needy households. We set a new record on 22 July 2009 when we distributed 220 bags of food to 165 households.
In 2008 cash donations, including Hike Against Hunger proceeds, amounted to $86,000. The generosity of members of this congregation and others, in terms of cash and food donations, as well as significant volunteer commitments, has enabled us to meet the increasing need of struggling households trying to make ends meet. However, the need in the community for this households trying to make ends meet. However, the need in the community for this mission is substantiated by its significant growth and the many sincere
expressions of appreciation from our clients. Because of this growth, we are now having difficulty in fulfilling this necessary mission. We need more volunteers and we need more in cash donations. Hence, this is a direct appeal to every member of the congregation and our community for help.
Won't You Help Us To Feed Others?
Food collection and storage: We need volunteers who have a few hours a month and are able to do the physical work of food collection and storage. This does not have to be a weekly commitment, even if you only want your name to be on a sub list that would be helpful to us. Right now we are operating solely through the commitment (and fortitude) of a very limited number of volunteers and we have no backup. These are the times we need people who are able to help with the collection and storage of food:
- Tuesday 9 am - 11:30 am Philabundance trip. We need people who can accompany a driver and/or drive the Church van or their own truck.
- Wednesday 8:00 am - 2:00 pm Food distribution. You can work a “shift” if you can’t commit to the full day
- Wednesday 10 am - 11:30 am food collection at Marrazzo’s in Robbinsville. You need to be able to drive Church van or have truck of your own.
- Thursday 9:30 am -12:00 pm Mercer St Friends, pick-up and unloading at Church.
The Food Center at MPC has a new web site. We invite you to click on the hyperlink we've given you and take a look around. You'll find interesting facts about the Food Center, learn about its mission, view a documentary film, and even be able to volunteer or make a donation. There's a lot going on. Please take a look at our new web site and then, maybe, help us to help others in this vital ministry.