HOMOSASSA CHURCH EXPANDS FOOD PANTRY

by Bob Halstead
During the past three years, the Homosassa, Fla., Church Food Pantry has served more than 700 families out of a storage shed until the building size and condition limited its usefulness.
Under the leadership of Don Gesell, chair of the church’s building committee, an aggressive campaign was launched to obtain a new structure. Gesell located a building that met the pantry’s needs while, at the same time, a church member’s son-in-law made a sizeable donation.
Once the building was in place, a local contractor donated a heating/air conditioning system, and members added shelving and other finishing touches. In a ceremony attended by members and friends, Pastor Dale Wolfe dedicated the new building with anointing and prayer. “The Holy Spirit certainly guided this effort, and it is a blessing to our church,” says Wolfe.
The original food pantry was an idea that grew out of a discussion by the men’s group on how to reach the local community. On any given Tuesday, 12-16 members staff the pantry and serve local people. “We love our community,” says Gesell, “but it sure will be a lot easier serving them from our new building.”