Two years ago, a news release was being prepared by Robert Neal Food Pantry Network of Calvary Chapel at Parchman. It would announce that over 1 million pounds of food had been distributed in the Delta, mostly in Tallahatchie County and in Sunflower County north of Drew.
That article was delayed on Jan. 11, 2020, when a tornado ripped across the area. It placed huge demands on the food pantries. With no electric power in some areas for weeks, families faced a myriad of problems. Workplaces were destroyed; incomes vanished. The food pantries were overrun with need and new clients, but lines of volunteers came to help.
After the tornadoes, floods came. Needs grew. And then the pandemic came. No news release ever went out to celebrate the 1 million pounds distributed.
Most other food pantries shut down out of fear of the COVID virus, leaving only the Robert Neal Food Pantry at Calvary Chapel of Parchman and Faith Food Pantry at Faith Baptist Church near Charleston.
Volunteers disappeared. Decisions had to be made. Network leadership decided to remain open, work quietly in small groups and continue to keep both Calvary Chapel and Faith Baptist Church open every Sunday in some way, with small groups gathering to worship and then to pack food boxes.
Demand for food ministry increased quickly. The churches converted from in-person distribution inside the church buildings to a drive-thru distribution through circle drives. The line of clients’ cars often stretched over a half-mile at both locations, requiring law enforcement assistance.
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The food pantry ministry began in the early 2000s, almost insignificantly. Calvary Chapel deacons began helping widows and needy families with a few extra groceries, mostly donated by members and supplemented by large donations from the now shuttered Allen Canning Company in Moorhead.
No records were kept in the early days, but in August 2005 when Hurricane Katrina hit, members remember that two truckloads of canned goods were on the parking lot at Calvary Chapel, awaiting storage. One was unloaded in a distribution at the Calvary parking lot, and the other was moved to Batesville at the request of the American Red Cross, where thousands of evacuees were fed at churches.
Sometime afterward, deacons Robert Neal and Jim Harmon of Calvary Chapel decided there was a need to expand, and in late spring of 2011, the food pantry sent workers to Jackson to be trained by Mississippi Food Network, an arm of Feeding America.
By that time, Faith Baptist Church in Charleston had reached out to Calvary Chapel for help to stay open, so Calvary sent a van through Charleston to take Faith volunteers for training.
Shortly afterward, Faith received its first shipment of food to be distributed. Calvary did not receive a shipment of food until November of that year, because some modifications of Calvary’s building had to be made. At that same time, Calvary began sending food to Glendora for a monthly mobile food pantry.
Within a month, Mr. Robert Neal died, and the food ministry was named in his memory.
Marvin Overstreet, a minister from Calvary Chapel, began coming to Charleston to preach at Faith Baptist, and he led Faith to significant ministry until he resigned for health reasons. Soon afterward, he died, and Trent Houston led the food ministry until his death. Other workers moved away. Faith Food Pantry closed.
In 2015, Jim Harmon was sent by Calvary to serve as pastor at Faith, which had by that time become a mission of the Parchman congregation. Immediately, the food pantry was reorganized, with monthly distribution starting again and continuing to the present.
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Charleston Arts and Revitalization Effort (CARE) asked to cosponsor the food pantry at Faith Baptist, and under the leadership of Glenna Callender, an agreement was reached. CARE contributes no money to the ministry, but its endorsement has led many people to both volunteer and donate financial support.
At one time, Faith Baptist Church had solicited funds for the food pantry, but when it became a mission of Calvary Chapel, solicitation stopped. Calvary leaders insisted that only churches would be invited to provide funding, and churches rallied to the cause.
Charleston First United Methodist, New Town Missionary Baptist, Charleston First Baptist, Friendship East Baptist, St. John Catholic, Cross of Christ Love Center and Cascilla Baptist began sending monthly donations. Individual members from other churches began to contribute. Faith Baptist continued as the largest contributor.
While Calvary Chapel continued to be the largest contributor to the food pantry near Parchman, a number of other churches also helped financially. Webb Baptist, Sumner Presbyterian, Rome’s Silver Star Missionary Baptist, Sumner Church of God, First Baptist Tutwiler and the Episcopal Church of the Advent in Sumner began regular donations.
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As the pandemic began in March 2020, foods donated since 2011 hit a milestone of 1 million pounds distributed.
Most churches closed, and donations from most churches had to cease as funds for those congregations dried up.
Calvary made a commitment to keep every ministry open, as long as there were volunteers and funds. At one point, one of the pantries got down to a sum of 54 cents. But food was ordered on credit, trusting God to provide. At no point were funds solicited from anyone, except one previous donor who had asked “to be contacted in a time of need” was notified of dwindling funds.
When word reached WABG-TV in Greenville of the continued operation of the food pantries, a reporter came to Calvary Chapel during a distribution in March 2020, interviewing Jim Harmon. More TV stations and National Public Radio came. Some funds began to drift in as people learned of the ministry.
Long lines were a problem at every distribution site. One Arkansas deer hunter called a local friend to learn why there was a traffic jam at a church, and when he learned what was happening, sent $500.
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Food storage became a problem, too, and Calvary Chapel implemented building programs for warehouses at each church.
As the Davis Trust Fund, the Maddox Foundation and the Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi learned of the need, they sent thousands of dollars.
Most was used to build the warehouses and equip them with modern equipment to lift the thousands of pounds of food. A used box truck was bought to bring food to the area. Sayle Oil Co. also assists to bring shipments of food to Charleston each month.
As of nine months ago, $56,000 had been spent on food storage facilities and equipment. More investment continues. Thirteen freezers run constantly to preserve meat. And since the pandemic began, another 600,000 pounds of food has been handed out to as many as 2,350 people a month. That’s a total of 1,600,000 pounds since 2011.
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In addition to food assistance, Calvary and Faith churches have helped a few hundred people to get flu vaccines, buying the serum. It was administered by local medical volunteers after church services.
At Christmas, a thousand Christmas backpacks have been placed annually in the hands of local children, filled with school supplies, age- and gender-appropriate toys, and edible goodies, all donated by Baptist churches in Alabama.
When the February 2021 winter storm knocked out water systems, the food network purchased over two truckloads of bottled water for distribution in Charleston, with smaller amounts given at Parchman.
As conditions have improved overall since the pandemic began, the number of clients receiving help has fallen to about 1,500 monthly.
The churches intend to maintain readiness for any situation that may cause another need of the magnitude of the pandemic or natural disasters like tornadoes or floods.
As funds are available, there are plans for electric generators for use during power outages, and for more storage equipment.
The local food pantry network has become a model for many. Drew citizens who once volunteered at Calvary now operate a food pantry as large as Calvary’s. More distribution sites have been developed at other mission churches established by Calvary in Cleveland, Greenwood, Leland, Batesville and beyond.
Some 5,000 pounds of rice, adult diapers and more have been donated specifically for Calvary’s ministry to the poor in Mexico.
The members and leadership at Calvary Chapel and Faith Baptist Church wish to thank all who have participated in the ministry in any way. They are grateful to have had the opportunity to be a catalyst to bring so many wonderful volunteers and donors together in a common cause.
All has been done in the name of Christ, and, hopefully, people have been served with love and dignity as they received practical help.
