WKRN, Nashville, Tennessee News, Weather, and Sports |Church ministry helps Sumner Co. families in need

Church ministry helps Sumner Co. families in need

GALLATIN, Tenn. - A local church opened its doors Tuesday morning to needy families in Sumner County.

The Sumner County Food Bank, a ministry of the Liberty Baptist Church in Gallatin, handed out 121 food boxes, each with an estimated $70 worth of items.

Residents lined up outside the church on East Main Street early, with the first woman in line at 3:30 a.m.

The doors opened at 9 a.m. at the church off of East Main Street.  By 10:30 a.m., the boxes were gone.

The Liberty Baptist Church has a small congregation, with only 68 members, but after seeing members of the church and community struggling, they decided to do something about it.

"Inside of our church we noticed people losing their jobs, being cut back on their hours and they need food and we thought that was one thing we could do and we could do that well," said Barb Pember, director of the Sumner County Food Bank, which began operations in early May.

She said the ministry will be giving away food on the third Tuesday of every month.

"People run out of food stamps at the end of the month therefore we need to provide their food for them closer to the end of the month, when they are in more need," Pember told News 2.

The church collects food several ways, including buying food from Second Harvest Food Bank in Nashville.

The food bank ministry has provided food to the community three times and each time has increased the number of food boxes it gives away.

Pember said while she's glad to help the community, the hardest part is turning people away.

"It is horrible," she said.  "I have the minister do it because I can't go out there and tell them."

Pember said the church will continue operating the Sumner County Food Bank as long as there is a need in the community.

Click here for more information about the Liberty Baptist Church and Sumner County Food Bank.