A Small Assortment of Photos from the Berean SDA Food Pantry, 4/13/2016. Hundreds are Served Each Week!

Some Food Pantry Photos

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF THE BEREAN OUTREACH MINISTRIES CENTER FOOD PANTRY: 4/13/2016

The imprimatur of the operation graces the side of the church refrigerated truck. It can carry 10 pallets of merchandise, and has recently been serviced.

732 Joseph E Lowery Blvd NW, Atlanta, GA 30318, the primary warehouse complex of the Atlanta Community Food Bank. It is right by the railroad tracks.

Something very disturbing on the concrete pad beside the loading docks at the Atlanta Food Bank. It is too translucent to be human blood, thank goodness!

One of a pair of outdoor smoking areas at the Atlanta Community Food Bank. This one is on the East side of the warehouse. The one on the West side is mostly used by volunteers. I thank God that I no longer smoke!

A pickup truck from Tip Top Roofers tried to slide around a big rig that was pulling out of the Food Bank dock. A lack of patience by the pickup driver resulted in a fender-bender. According to Food Bank workers, this scenario is very common. People are too impatient!

A Food Bank volunteer empties racks of bread into cardboard bins at the main warehouse. This technique tends to crush the poor loaves that lie near the bottom of the barrel, unless they are dense and hearty.

Food Bank volunteers headed home, before noon. The Food Bank uses hundreds of volunteers, but does not work them more than a few hours at a time. This is a very sensitive approach, as it does not burn them out.

Back at the church, patrons are not required to “pay, pray, or work” for their food, but early arrivals enjoy the option of hearing a sermon by Elder Charles Cunningham, an accomplished expositor of the Word.

Chef Regina, at left, feeds a small army of volunteers a nice hot lunch just prior to the four hour Wednesday food distribution. At right, hardworking octogenarian Thelma Robinson. Vegetarian fare is available!

Food pantry Czarina Allyson Dozier enjoys the calm before the storm. At right, a buggy full of bags of produce, ready to be re-gifted..

The volunteer side of the operation, staffed by about a dozen distributors. Others help process paperwork, or direct traffic, and some carry heavy boxes to the distributors (my specialty). There is plenty to do!

At right, the customer side of the line. This day approximately 400 people were served. Each one went away with a strawberry crème pie (not a health food, exactly, but a nice thing to have).

Sister Mitchell, back in action after a brief indisposition, stops by to say hello after the day’s distribution. Her line of endeavor is the creation of brand new Christians.

A vintage (1963) window in the “War Room” (nee Wednesday night prayer meetings). These services are a great way to cap off a rewarding day of work.

This sloppy paste is a Reddit exclusive. It is Elder Irene Bowdon, who recently stepped down as Head of Community Services. She is in her mid-eighties. She taught math for most of her life, and even served on the faculty at Oakwood. Before our church paid salaries to its music ministers, they relied on volunteers. Elder Bowden was music minister from 1970 to 1980. She is so nice, she actually invited me to her private family reunion last Christmas, just because I have no family of my own (so to speak of: my sister lives in a separate dimension, as she is not poor like me!).