How Walmart and Hunter UMC Are Feeding More Neighbors Together
At Hunter United Methodist Church, fighting hunger means working together — and a retail rescue partnership with Walmart and Arkansas Foodbank is making that possible.
Lascelles Lyn‑Cook Jr. serves as the community outreach ministry point at Hunter UMC. He shared. “While our pantry is open once a month, our impact happens every week.”
Each week, Hunter UMC picks up food from two Walmart locations, distributing several hundred pounds of items including baked goods, deli foods, produce, and frozen items. That food supports not just Hunter UMC’s pantry, but also the Compassion Center, Sober Living programs, and other local food pantries — ensuring nothing goes to waste.
Before joining the retail rescue program hosted by Arkansas Foodbank, the pantry served about 30 to 45 households per month. Today, Hunter UMC distributes an average of 160 to 170 food boxes monthly, all without exceeding its budget.
While the numbers are powerful, one story stays at the forefront for Cook and the Hunter UMC team.
“There’s a 14‑year‑old neighbor who comes every month with a wagon,” Cook shared. “He provides food for his 10 siblings.”
The family lives in a nearby apartment complex, and over time, that young neighbor has moved from recipient to helper — volunteering during distributions and becoming part of the pantry community.
“That’s what this work is really about,” Cook said. “Building relationships while providing for people who truly need it.”
Arkansas continues to face some of the highest rates of food insecurity in the nation — making partnerships like this one essential.
During Fight Hunger. Spark Change.®, Walmart customers can help fuel partnerships like this by supporting participating products or rounding up at the register.
“This is a very good program to fight food insecurity,” Cook said. “Anything that helps address that need is something we fully support… Thank you, Walmart, for all that you do.” Cook added, “Every item we receive goes directly to hungry people in our community.”
Together, through collaboration, care, and commitment, partners like Walmart, Arkansas Foodbank, and Hunter UMC are proving that fighting hunger truly takes a network — and that network is changing lives every day.
