BREAD OF LIFE
Mount Hope United Methodist Church - Bread of Life Food Pantry Ministry
To serve members of the community facing food insecurity, Mount Hope UMC decided to establish a food assistance program. It is called, “Bread of life”. A Bread of Life board was established to set up guidelines and manage the program.
This program provides forty to fifty families with a complete order of food that is distributed on one Saturday of each month. These orders include fresh produce, eggs, different types of meat/protein, non-perishable canned goods, personal hygiene products, paper products, and other miscellaneous items. The Bread of Life participants come to the church on the day of distribution and select items from different food stations. Setup and preparations begin at 8am and distribution usually runs from 9-11:30am.
The Bread of Life participants who receive food assistance are part of a regular list of recipients who receive food once every month. Participants are usually referred to by church or community members or through word of mouth.
Participants are required to complete an intake process which includes speaking with a designated Bread of Life board member. During this process, they will complete a participant form which includes basic contact and family information.
Volunteers and the help they provide are integral to the food pantry ministry. A small group of regular volunteers, that includes many of the Bread of Life board members, shop for food items during the month. They look for sales and food items that are discounted.
There is another group of volunteers who pick-up eggs every month before distribution, from a farm in Lancaster, that donates eggs to this ministry. Other volunteers shop for meat and fresh produce before distribution day. On the day of food distribution, volunteers of all ages turn up to help. Some serve as food station managers, others at the Registration and Checkout tables. Many young volunteers serve as ‘runners’, pushing carts of food for the participants and help with loading food bags and boxes into cars.
The Bread of Life ministry is fully funded and supported by monetary and food donations from church and community members. Local markets, businesses, and organizations also donate food items or cash donations.
Other major supporters are the Aston Township Lions and Aston Township Lioness, Aston Elementary School, and the Chester Postal Service. During the food distributions for Thanksgiving and Christmas, every Bread of Life participant receives a turkey or ham in addition to the rest of the food items. The Aston Township Lioness and Aston Township Lions have been very helpful with providing holiday meals for community members.
A few weeks after inception of the Bread of Life food pantry, a clothing ministry, called Angel’s Closet, was added. Gently used clothing is donated by Mount Hope’s congregation and other community organizations. It has grown from a few tables of clothing to now having long racks of clothing. The clothes are arranged by size and gender. Sizes encompass all ages from newborn to adults. Families from the Bread of Life ministry are invited to select clothing for their family needs. In the winter months, there is a large supply of coats and blankets, collected through a Winter Clothing Drive organized by the Bread of Life ministry. Church members and local organizations donate winter coats, jackets, blankets, and warm socks.
If anyone would wish to receive food assistance, they must first call the Bread of Life phone number at 610-459-9875. Please leave your name and a short message. One of the volunteers will call you back. If you would like to volunteer, please call the church office at 610-459-0248. Please leave your name and contact information with the office manager.
