Volunteers at the Dandridge Ministerial Association Food Pantry in Tennessee stared down empty shelves and empty freezers, with 180 families depending on them for food.
Vickie Ownby, a member of First Baptist Church Dandridge, had built friendships with the pantry’s volunteers over three years of delivering paper products from her Sunday School class. About two months ago, those volunteers showed her just how bare their shelves had become.
“This story all started with me delivering a donation of paper products from my Sunday School class to our local food pantry,” Ownby said.
“In the course of doing this, I became close to the volunteers there. About two months ago, they took me to the back of the pantry and showed me how empty their shelves and freezers were. I took the problem to our class, and we organized a church-wide food drive.”
Ownby also runs a catering business her late husband started 20 years ago. He died three years ago, but Ownby and her son have kept the business running — and it gave them the trailer and food supplier connections they needed to help deliver donations to the pantry.
Where credit is due
Ownby, who was born and raised in Dandridge, deflects the credit.
“This was not me; it was my Sunday School class,” she said. The class draws 15 members, many of whom moved to the area from elsewhere but have grown to love the community. “I’m very fortunate because I’m just the driver,” she laughed.
The effort didn’t stop there. Randy C. Davis, president and executive director of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, was preaching at First Baptist Church Sevierville when Ownby, visiting with her adult children, struck up a conversation and asked him to pray for the food pantry.
Prayers and donation
Davis offered more than prayer. He told Ownby about TBMB’s Compassion Ministries and connected her with Beth Moore, TBMB’s compassion ministry specialist, who secured a donation to fund the pantry.
“This GOTM grant was given to help this ministry purchase food for the nearly 200 families they serve,” Moore said. “They were in desperate need of funds after losing their food supplier. Funding ministries like this meets an essential need and shows communities that the church cares. More importantly, it positions churches to have gospel conversations with hurting people, and that meets their greatest need: Jesus.”
On Aug. 21, Ownby, along with First Baptist Church Dandridge pastor Justin Terrell and fellow Sunday School member Becky Murray met with pantry volunteers and board chairman John Thompson to present the donation.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Zoë Watkins and originally published by the Baptist and Reflector.
