“We want our church to be a partner to the village, now more than ever.”
Bill Winston, pastor and founder of Living Word Christian Church, stood outside Living Fresh on Roosevelt Road on Saturday, May 23. Living Word had partnered with Living Fresh Market and Sweet Potato Patch to provide 300 boxes of food to Forest Park residents.
The boxes contained fresh chicken, vegetables and fruit. Canned and dry food were provided as well. And a case of bottled water was given to each family. The flyer associated with the event said that each food box would feed a family of four for about a week.
Winston said he is concerned about people during the pandemic, financially and emotionally.
“With layoffs, there is the sense that people won’t have enough,” said Winston. “We want to let people know that there’s more than enough. And if this pandemic lasts longer, we will have to see what else we can do.”
The decision to provide food to families in town wasn’t difficult, he said. It was a matter of recognizing a need and filling it.
Forest Park firefighters Aaron Hannan, Ken Hriensaitong and Antonio Torres were on location to help load groceries into cars. And Mayor Rory Hoskins was there as well, greeting residents and filling cars with food.
“This is a great thing that Living Word is doing,” said Hoskins. “It’s really wonderful to see the community working together to take care of its residents.”
