Fighting hunger a community effort in Willow

What started as a small program for church members has evolved into a communitywide initiative to keep Willow-area families fed.

The food assistance program at Willow United Methodist Church for years had been a single shelf in the church’s fellowship hall. That changed in 2009, when the need increased to half a dozen people who relied regularly on the program. Rev. John Redmond said that’s when the church decided to turn the old chapel into a full-blown food pantry and the food assistance program into a larger effort to battle hunger in the community. The organization’s name – the Willow Community Food Pantry – reflects the commitment of other area churches and Willow organizations.

“Just having a shelf in the church fellowship hall for food did not work anymore,” Redmond said. “We worked to make the ministry a community project.”

Part of the plan to broaden the reach of the food assistance program included joining the Food Bank of Alaska, which opened the door for more food to disperse. Shortly after that, the food pantry got involved with two federal government food programs.

“Within the first year, we quickly grew to serving 25 or so families a month,” Redmond said. “The Mat-Su Health Foundation provided funding to remodel the building to better serve our needs, and there has been steady growth since then.” The Willow Community Food Pantry currently serves around 180 families each month, he said. But more food and more families meant more space was needed. The Sockeye Fire in 2015 underscored the space concerns. The church became a hub for the distribution of food, cleaning supplies, and household goods, and the back half of the church sanctuary became warehouse space for several months.

The Mat-Su Health Foundation stepped up again with a grant to build a warehouse. That support has been steady since then, with around $75,000 granted to the food pantry in the last four years, including $25,000 earlier this year to fund children’s outreach programs.

“Our community might be small, but the need is huge,” Redmond said.

The outreach program allows the pantry to serve about 100 bag lunches to kids each Wednesday. Weekend bags are also distributed on Fridays at Willow Elementary School that contain two breakfasts and lunches, two snacks, and a dinner-type meal.

“The grants have given the Willow community a much needed boost to address critical financial deficiencies in our region,” Redmond said. “They allow the Willow United Methodist Church and the community to dream a little bigger each year as we seek to be a place of love and support for those struggling financially and emotionally.”

Such grants are part of the plan for the nonprofit Mat-Su Health Foundation, which has been investing in community health and wellness since its inception in 2007. As part owner of the Mat-Su Regional Medical Center, the Health Foundation has channeled more than $140 million of its share of hospital profits back into the community through scholarships, sponsorships, and grants to nonprofits like the Willow Community Food Pantry.

“The grants received from the Health Foundation are a lifeline for the success and progress of the pantry, and for the care of our clients,” Redmond said. “We are extremely grateful for them and the greater vision they provide for overcoming food insecurities in our area.”

FIND OUT MORE

https://willowumc.org