NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A Nashville church congregation is stepping up to help families struggling with food insecurity, spending hundreds of dollars of their own money to provide free home-cooked meals to communities in need.
Pastor Shelley Morrison and members of the Remnant Church have made it their mission to serve their neighbors three times a month, no matter the cost. Morrison said the church "very easily spends $300 to $500" shopping for ingredients to prepare meals for anyone who needs them.
"People need a good home-cooked meal," Morrison said. "Anybody's welcome to come and get a plate."
The church's outreach focuses on areas like Nashville's Napier neighborhood, an area without nearby grocery stores where more than half the children live below the poverty line. Church members carefully select ingredients aisle by aisle at local stores, purchasing items like cream of chicken and mushroom soup to create hearty meals.
"Home-cooked meals. We give the people what we would eat at home," Janay Armstrong said.
The congregation transforms the community when they arrive.
"When we get to come into the community and we set up our tables and turn on the lights and put on some music and put the food out, everybody comes out. They feel good, their bellies get full and it's really worthwhile for us," Morrison said.
For these single mothers involved in the ministry, the act of giving brings its own rewards despite the financial sacrifice.
"I've never gone lacking feeding and sharing with my neighbors. I've never gone lacking serving someone else. God has always come through," Morrison said.
Morrison believes their work proves that small groups can create meaningful change in their communities.
"It just takes a few people who really believe they can make a difference to come together and really make a difference. And that's what we do every month," Morrison said.
This Saturday, the group will provide dinner at 27 Lewis Street starting at 9 p.m. for anyone who needs it. The church also serves free meals in Columbia and Murfreesboro.
Click here, for more information on where to find these free meals or donate to help them continue their mission.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at Patsy.Montesinos@Newschannel5.com
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