A volunteer from 143 Ministries delivers food to homebound neighbors in need. The organization has delivered over 200,000 meals since the start of the pandemic.

Delivering groceries to homebound and hungry families isn’t what members of 143 Ministries International usually feel called to do. But during the COVID-19 health crisis, it’s become their way of giving back to the community in an uncertain time.

As at-risk or ill community members self-isolate, the need for home-delivered meals has quickly risen — especially as more and more families in our area seek food assistance.

“We saw the need and so we just jumped in,” says Cliff Nobles, the organization’s founder, of its new Fishes & Loaves ministry. The ministry receives food from Golden Harvest, which volunteers then pack into boxes for delivery to families who call the organization’s food assistance hotline.

When word of the organization’s delivery ministry spread, calls requesting help began flooding in.

“There’s been so many stories of people not having any food when we show up, and there’s been a lot of desperation over the phone. But we show up, and we believe that God is using us to give them some hope,” Nobles says.

Each delivery box includes non-perishable food items for lunches and dinners. Bags of breakfast items, milk and frozen meat are added to the boxes, along with kids bags filled with healthy snacks.

“It’s really sad and humbling to take food to children who had no idea how they were going to eat that day, to elderly people who are scared to go out and buy their own food,” says Brooke Bolgla, a 143 Ministries volunteer.

Since the start of the crisis, this Golden Harvest community partner agency has delivered more than 200,000 meals to hungry families with children, seniors, and disabled veterans living across the CSRA from Aiken, SC to Wrens, GA.

143 Ministries was founded as an addiction recovery group providing support, recovery programming, and transition housing. “Everybody here, they are in recovery. The blessing that they’ve gotten is to be a blessing to other people,” Nobles says.

For food assistance from 143 Ministries, call 1-800-560-7143. Visit 143ministries.org for more information.