By Aila Boyd
aboyd@mainstreetnewspapers.com
The COVID-19 pandemic has made it difficult for some houses of worship to connect with those in the community, but that hasn’t been the case for Wheatland Evangelical Lutheran Church.
Since May, the church has engaged in multiple outreach initiatives, all of which have centered around putting food in the hands of Botetourt County residents. Roughly 3,000 meals have been served since then.
“Getting food in the hands of children became vitally important because of the pandemic,” Chuck Miller, the pastor at the church, said. “We’re currently giving out six days’ worth of shelf-stable meals so that the children can have at least one full meal every day. It’s the church’s responsibility, in my opinion. When Christ tells us to love our neighbor, that means we need to figure out how to take care of them.”
This year, the church developed a relationship with Feeding America Southwest Virginia. Originally, the partnership was on a backpack program for students at Central Academy Middle School, but the scope ended up expanding once the COVID-19 pandemic made its way to the area.
“Because of the virus, that enabled Feeding America Southwest Virginia to make us a location to feed shelf-stable meals during the summer,” Miller said. “It has taken off and has continued to grow. Every Friday we offer that program to every child 18 and under.”
On July 31, the church offered a farmer’s market for children. Each child received food pantry money, which they were able to spend on the produce that they wanted. “It was a cool experience for the children,” Miller said.
Miller also noted that the “mini pantry” that the church has been offering for five years now is still going strong. “It’s a small two-by-two-foot box with a plexiglass door that is regularly stocked,” he said. “It empties out about three times a week.”
Another significant project that the church has been running for several years is its two-acre garden, which provides fresh produce to those in need. In 2019, 1,100 pounds of produce was given to food pantries and those in need from the garden.
“The garden this year was affected by the cold weather this spring. It backed the garden up a little bit, so it’s just now starting to deliver,” Miller said. “We’re getting things out of it every day now.”
The church has been aided in its efforts to maintain the garden by members of the congregation, private individuals who simply want to lend a hand and employees of organizations that have been given the opportunity to volunteer there in order to receive service hours.
“Even though it’s five years old, the garden continues to grow in momentum,” he said.
Current plans have it that the feeding program will at least continue through the end of August. Miller added that the church might also participate in an after-school feeding program this fall.
“Through the freedom and grace given to us from God through Christ Jesus, that invites us to take care of others,” Miller said.
