September 21, 2023
By: Dwayne Page
Don’t be surprised if you see a line of automobiles early Saturday morning, October 14 stretching from downtown Smithville on South College Street as far out as Green Brook Park.
It’s become a regular occurrence at least twice a year as families needing food get in line to be served by the Smithville Cumberland Presbyterian Church’s mobile food pantry in partnership with Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee.
The distribution begins at 9 a.m. with registration starting at 8:30 a.m. No one being served ever has to leave their automobile. Volunteers working the pantry will prepare food boxes filled with non-perishables, vegetables, produce, canned goods, breads, bakery treats, and sometimes dairy products and deliver them directly to the vehicles waiting in line. Automobiles will line up facing north on College Street to North Market Street.
Myra Reffue, Pantry Coordinator, said this food distribution has been a community outreach mission of the church for several years.
“Second Harvest always sends us enough food to feed about 300 families and we try to limit it to two families per car and depending upon the size of the family there is enough food distributed to feed each family for about a week. The pantry is often sponsored and paid for by TVA so the church doesn’t have to pay anything. Many times we get sponsorships from companies that go through Second Harvest and if there is no sponsor the church covers the cost,” said Reffue.
The food pantry always gets help from volunteers both from the church and the community to off load the Second Harvest truck and to prepare and deliver the food boxes but others who want to participate are welcome.
“Anyone who wants to volunteer needs to be there by 7:30 a.m. Saturday morning, October 14. For more information you may call 615-597-4197, extension 3,” added Reffue.