The Food Ministry -  Menifee

The food ministry at Acts International Christian Fellowship (Acts 1) started over two years ago. Pastor Chuck Jepson was called to be pastor in July of 2010, and brought focus to the food ministry. Every Thursday, families are asked to give a $2.00 donation, and for that donation, get a food box that feeds a family of four.  Even if they cannot afford the $2.00 donation they will receive a food box. Acts 1 helps approximately 100 families who are in need each week. The church buys two pallets of food from Western Eagle, a grocery store in Temecula, and is unaware of what will be on the pallets, but use whatever is given. There is always produce, and sometimes dairies and soups. Target has donates some items each week, as well as a friend of Pastor Chuck’s in San Jacinto who donates left over bread from his food ministry. Salvation Army also pays the church to leave a box for donations on campus, which also helps to pay for the food that is purchased each week. On Thursday mornings, sign in starts at 10:30 but some people get there as early as 6:00. The families register and are given a number, and their box is lined up. The boxes are then sent down a line where volunteers fill them. The food does not arrive until 11:30, and then some has to be sorted out and put into smaller containers. While the volunteers arrange the food, the families that have come for a box go into the church for a short service. Pastor Chuck leads the service, with the help of a translator, as many of the families are Hispanic. Tony Reza, pastor at Primera Iglesia Bautista in Moreno Valley, has recently been coming to help with the translation. The volunteers at the food ministry help to separate food, load boxes, carry boxes to the cars, talk with people and show them the love of Christ. When families arrive, they are given coffee, water and a small snack and they use it as a time to socialize. The church opens some of their classrooms where ladies come and crochet. At times, Acts 1 has had things like bread dough donated, which they take into the kitchen and separate into small containers to give out. Sometimes the items received have to be tried in the church’s kitchen so they can tell the people how to cook the item!  For example, frozen pretzels came in as part of the load but were in bulk packaging. They had to cook one to see what temperature they should be cooked at so they could tell the people.  Whatever is given, they find a way to use it. Pastor Chuck remembers when they were giving out 5 pound bags of cherry tomatoes in each box, and the only way he knew how to use these tomatoes was in salad. One of the ladies getting a box told him that they take the tomatoes, boil them, and make tomato sauce. Pastor Chuck felt humbled that these ladies use every small item to feed their families, when all he could think of using it for was salad. Pastor Chuck’s wife, Glenda, was really touched this past Christmas when March Air Force base donated 100 toys, and the Marriott hotel donated 1,000 backpacks to their ministry. She took all of the toys and set them up in a classroom. As the families came, she took each child in the room one by one and told them they could pick out any toy that they wanted. The children were so excited, and she was so blessed. God is using this church body of 100 people to show his love to the community of Menifee.

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