Good Neighbor Love Center feeds the community need

Good Neighbor Love Center feeds the community need

Food distribution feeds 500 local families

news@theeveningtimes.com

Cars lined up for three blocks all the way to Broadway in West Memphis Friday morning.

The long line of cars was not waiting for an accident to clear. Instead folks were waiting on volunteers with the Good Neighbor Love Center to unload a semitrailer filled with groceries for a food give-away at Old St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church.

The Love Center started as a community food and clothes pantry in the early ‘80s and came into national focus for the response to the 1987 tornado, flood and blizzard as the official food relief center for storm victims. The same commitment to neighbors in need was on display again Friday as volunteers staged grocery give-away for 500 qualified families.

The Mid-South Food Bank has delivered the goods for six years. Food bank Mobile Coordinator Michael King said the food bank serves the county each month alternating between two West Memphis based non-profit groups, Hope House Ministries and the Good Neighbor Love Center.

“We are partnered with the Feed America Organization,” said King.

“We service 31 mid-south counties. In Crittenden County we do mobile panties once a month with the Love Center in West Memphis and Hope House goes to Marion.”

King ran down the menu as volunteers bagged groceries and pedestrians started the line with shopping carts. “We’ve got cereal, bread, fresh produce, potatoes, meat and sweets to help people out for the month,” said King.

Partnership was the key word and its worked out well for both the cooperating organizations and community neighbors for years according to Jacqueline Cannon with the Love Center.

“We’ve been doing this for six years,” said Cannon. “This time we are helping 500 families.

Sometimes we serve up to 650.”

Old St. Paul church has been a part of the mobile food pantry since it started to roll with the drive through style distribution.

“It’s worked out well for us all along,” said Cannon. Those in need may contact the Good Neighbor Love Center, 709 East Broadway, Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. 4:00 p.m. The mobile food pantry is a qualified program and applicants must provide current picture identification and proof of income for consideration.

By John Rech