Galilee UMC works hand in hand with Loudoun Hunger Relief, a partner committed to eliminating food insecurity by providing access to nutritious food, building community connections, and expanding educational opportunities in our county. Through the years, LHR has provided 2.5 million pounds of food free of charge to support our Loudoun County neighbors with their supplemental or emergency food needs.
A limiting factor has always been geography, however. LHR is in Leesburg and not everyone can get to Leesburg to pick up food. That’s why Loudoun Hunger Relief has asked Galilee to become a mobile distribution point. Every week or so, LHR will deliver fresh produce and other groceries to our Serve Ministry team. Serve Ministry will work with neighborhood organizations to get the food to those in need. That includes members of our congregation who are experiencing joblessness or other hardships: call Pastor Mike directly at (540) 908-5741 to learn more.
Loudoun Hunger Relief is thriving. It's strength is that it collects a bounty of food from many sources. Galilee's strength is our connection to the community. We know who is in need and we can help get them the resources they need so they can thrive, too.
We know this reversal of ministry direction (from donating food to distributing it) means that many congregants at Galilee and the Chapel who are used to bringing in groceries or money are left without a way of giving. That’s why we ask those who want to fight food insecurity with their gifts to please continue giving to Galilee, only do it through our Backpack Buddies program.
Backpack Buddies, like LHR, broadens our sense of community by helping those in need. We feed 631 students every weekend with meals packed in our church pantry. Here’s a list of what we need; if you buy it on Amazon, it will ship directly to Galilee.
As ever, we are actively looking at other ways to feed neighbors in our community, so stay tuned.
