According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, an estimated 33.8 million people across the U.S. lack regular access to safe and nutritious food needed for an active and healthy lifestyle. This trend is acutely felt in nine particular states, including Kentucky, where the rate of food insecurity is above the national average.
For the team at AdventHealth Manchester, taking action to address this key challenge is about more than just improving the statistic: it’s another way they’re contributing to a more than 50-year legacy of providing healing and wholeness to the surrounding communities.
In partnership with the Manchester Seventh-day Adventist Church, Advent- Health Manchester leaders and team members volunteer at the Adventist Community Services food pantry to serve more than 600 families every month. Specific volunteering tasks include sorting, boxing, distributing a variety of food items, and assisting with parking management.
Kenneth Henson, Betty Frazier, and Jamie Hacker are a few of the community members who utilize the pantry on a regular basis. Henson said, “We are out of everything [at home] and this helps us.”
Hacker added, “This help gets us through every day.”
Tom Kyser, a pastor at the Manchester Seventh-day Adventist Church, said the volunteering efforts of the AdventHealth Manchester team have been pivotal to the operations of the food pantry. “Finding volunteers for our pantry has been the single most difficult thing in running this ministry,” said Kyser. “Every volunteer who comes from AdventHealth is super helpful. They come with a smile on their face and are willing to do any task.”
Marlon Robinson, director of pastoral care at AdventHealth Manchester, has been closely involved with coordinating volunteers for this important cause. He also spends a lot of time volunteering at the pantry. “I want to make a lasting difference in this world for Christ,” said Robinson. “I’ve interacted with team members who appreciate the opportunity to make a meaningful impact in our community.”
The AdventHealth Manchester team also provides free hot meals to communities through an annual Christmas meal drive. Some of the leaders who volunteer during this event and on pantry days shared their excitement about opportunities to deliver compassion to people outside the walls of the hospital.
“I love helping others,” said Cynthia Hall, office manager at AdventHealth Manchester. Graham Allen, director of business development and operations at AdventHealth Manchester, said, “I find volunteering to be rewarding, and an opportunity to reset my spirits. Volunteering is important to our mission because it allows us the opportunity to meet the communities we serve where they are. Serving others is a key reason many of us continue to work in health care.”
Compassion for those in need is also a strong motivator, according to Debbie Branum, a nurse education manager who frequently volunteers during this event. Brenda Jones, who works as an environmental service manager, added that many people in the community need help, so helping the community is very important.
In 2021, Mary Ann Roberts, home care administrator at AdventHealth Manchester, said she was delivering Christmas dinners to families when she experienced an unforgettable moment. “I had four families break into tears because they had no idea where their food was coming from for Christmas,” she said. “They were so thankful for the delivery, and every single one of those families also invited me to eat with them even though they had very little.”
In ensuring that hundreds of families never have to see their food run out, the AdventHealth Manchester team continues to play a significant role in helping their communities feel whole.
AdventHealth | March 2023
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