2021 Empty Bowls Agency Honoree: Geyer Springs United Methodist Church Food Pantry

For 28 years, Geyer Springs United Methodist Church Food Pantry has been giving food to neighbors facing hunger in southwest Little Rock. Every first and third Wednesday, you’ll find volunteers in the church’s gym organizing and boxing food, preparing for the day’s food distribution to begin.

Terri Hammond, the food pantry’s director, reflects on an incredible year that was only made possible through coordination and generous volunteers. “When COVID-19 hit, we had to miss a couple of weeks to make sure we were being safe. Next thing I know, our pastor is calling me saying he’s found someone to take over until we could get back. I was so relieved.”

By coordinating with their sister church, St. Andrew, neighbors in desperate need for food would be able to attend distributions on a weekly basis – an incredible feat to manage during the pandemic. Except for the first two weeks, Geyer Springs never closed their doors to our neighbors facing hunger. They responded to the swift rise in need with grace and enthusiasm.

“At the onset of Covid-19, many of the pantry volunteers at Geyer Springs UMC were seniors categorized as vulnerable population. In an effort to keep their elderly members safe, the church engaged its youth membership to take on leading the pantry. The pantry would have had to close down if it hadn’t been for the young people in the congregation to keep the pantry going. They serve almost 200 families a month.” – Connie Bledsoe, Agency Relations Director.

During this year’s event, attendees will personally experience how thousands of families received food during the pandemic. As they drive through to receive different restaurant creations, they’ll hear stories about the people we served and the hope they experienced by receiving a box of groceries from the Foodbank and its partners. We’ll also share more about our honorees and how they brought new life to our mission this past year as they filled the empty bowls of our hungry neighbors during the pandemic.

Learn more about our 19th Annual Empty Bowls Event >> click here.