Donate to Christian Service Center Food Drive
BY KADIE TAYLOR
THE LAFAYETTE SUN
LAFAYETTE — Support those in need by donating to the Christian Service Center Food Drive on Sept. 27 from 9 a.m. until noon EST at LaFayette Heights Baptist Church.
“The Food Drive is for the Christian Service Center, they are a local facility that ministers to people in need, but also helps their physical needs as well with food and sometimes other items, clothing, housewares and such,” said Drop-Off Coordinator for LaFayette Heights Baptist Church Steven Dobbs. “They have a really good vetting process, so they make sure that they get the food and supplies to people who truly need it, but also some opportunity to minister and witness to them as well.”
Director of the Christian Service Center, Christy Eddy, said there are two other Food Drives across Chambers County that day, one in the Fairfax Mill parking lot in Valley and the other in front of Valley Baptist Church.
“We're asking anybody who's ever received help from the Christian Service Center to donate one canned food item,” she said. “We've been in service for 35 years in the area. And if everybody who has ever been blessed by the Christian Service Centers ministry could donate, then I think we would be in the position to not have to do another food drive, for another several months anyway.”
Dobbs said the Christian Service Center will take any nonperishable food items.
“People could bring cans, rice, pasta, anything that can just go on a shelf, doesn't have to be refrigerated and has a decent shelf life,” he said. “They'll put together bags that kind of contain meals for families that somebody can cook. So it won't just be a bunch of random things.”
For the Christian Service Center clients, Eddy said these donations allow them to eat and spend their money on things like medication.
“Most of our clients at this point are on fixed income, and with prices rising across the board, we've seen a lot of elderly people who have to decide between, ‘Do I want to buy my medication this month, or do I want to buy groceries?’” she said. “If we help them with groceries, they can use their money for whatever else they need, like their medications, their electric bill or life expenses. Something happens to their vehicle, and they can't fix it because they have to buy groceries, that kind of thing. That's where we kind of step in.”
Dobbs said the items collected at this drive will help the Christian Service Center prepare to help those in need with holiday meals and said locals should remember to give back to their community.
“It really does help people who are truly in need,” he said. “They make sure donations go to people who really need it, and they're not just trying to get free handouts for no reason. At the end of the day, we're a community, even though this is a county-wide thing LaFayette is still a community. It's a way to give back to your community and have that sense of community, which is really important, because you never know when you're going to need a little help sometime.”
For more information, visit Christian Service Center on Facebook or 5342 Cusseta Road, Lanett.
“I just want to say thank you to all the community, because without the community helping us and donating to us, we wouldn't be able to do what we do,” Eddy said. “I feel like a lot of people say, ‘Oh, thank the Christian Service Center,’ but without the community, there wouldn't be a Christian Service Center. So I always wanted to say thank you to everybody who helps.”
