Weekly blessings: serving faith and food

Pastor Paul Hernandez of the Free Will Baptist Church oversees the Matthew 25:35 Ministry Fresh Rescue Program, a weekly food distribution that started in January and has provided roughly 10,000 meals.

Before the weekly program, the church held their distributions monthly for the last three years. Several factors inspired the church's long-term commitment to feeding the community.

"First, we saw statistics that said two out of five kids go to bed hungry, and we wanted to find a way to minister to the food insecurity in our community. Second, we were also looking for a way to minister even through covid," Pastor Hernandez said.

The church receives food from Walmart and other grocers. "They give us food that is close to expiring, and that is why we are allowed to give it away at no cost," he explained.

Using what they collect, they can hand out canned food, meat, deli meat, bakery goods and even pet food. Sometimes, they can give out hot food for those in immediate need. Recently, they have started distributing clothing, too.

The pastor said the food distribution aligns with the church's mission and values. "It answers the call to Matthew 25:35, which says the church is responsible for feeding those in need. This is actually an extension of the ministries we've had for the last 35 years and a step toward becoming a navigation center for the community."

He hopes that feeding the community will help them get closer to God, too. "It's both. We believe that by taking care of people's physical needs, we'll show them how much we care about their spiritual needs."

The community response has been very positive. "We feed almost 400 a week and we have people in line as early as 4 a.m. The distribution doesn't start until 9 a.m., but they get here four hours early to make sure they get food."

It's rewarding for him. "They are always thankful. One of the things that is memorable is watching families with young children and single moms come through. For us to be able to provide for them and see the joy across their faces while not communicating it in words is unmistakable."

The program has been impactful. "We have seen people come to church because of this program, growth in our church spiritually, people more motivated to help and volunteer, [and] members of the community offer their services, volunteering and donating to make this ministry work the way it is supposed to."

In the future, he would love to see a homeless shelter built in Wasco. "And we would love to provide food to all of the residents of that shelter."

The Matthew 25:35 Ministry Fresh Rescue Program occurs every Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon at Free Will Baptist Church, 938 7th St. For more information, call Pastor Hernandez at 661-758-5906.