CLAY COUNTY, Fla. – The coronavirus pandemic has created a need in many communities to help put food on the table, and a church in Clay County was eager to help answer that call.
On Friday, cars lined up outside of the Springs Church in Orange Park for a drive-thru food pantry.
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“There are a lot of needs out there, a lot of people that have been laid off, that have lost jobs,” said Springs Church lead pastor John Bailey.
The Springs Church has had a food pantry program but had to adapt it because of the coronavirus. This is the second week that they have done a drive-thru food pantry. Friday, they were able to load more than 200 cars with groceries.
“We passed out thousands of meals if you break everything down,” said Matthan Poole, outreach pastor at Springs Church. “It has been a lot, a great influx of people that have been coming through.”
The church hopes to be able to give hope to a lot of people who are going through a tough time.
“We don’t just give them food, we have people talking to them, we have a counseling department here and we know people are in need right now and they are very appreciative,” Poole said. “We have people crying. We have people who are very appreciative of what we are doing for the community right now.”
The Springs Church plans to continue to offer the drive-thru food pantry every Friday as long as there is a need in the community.
“As long as people can come, and we can do it safely and efficiently,” Bailey said. “We are trying to be cautious. We want to be effective and meeting needs as long as we can. We want to do everything we can to help people in need.”