NORFOLK, Va. - From prayers to progress, a Norfolk church is reaching out to its neighbors in a new way.
St. Paul's Episcopal Church has built a free little food pantry after seeing that community members were in need of food and supplies during the coronavirus pandmic.
The free pantry is located on W. 36th Street and Colonial Ave in Norfolk between Park Place and Colonial Place.
"I thought downtown Norfolk really wouldn’t work that well because we’re not in the neighborhood directly, so Knox Presbyterian gave us permission to build one here and it’s been an incredible success," Reverend Scott Hennessy says.
The food and supplies inside are available to anyone, no questions asked.
In true, free little food pantry fashion, people are encouraged to take what they need and leave what they can. If you are in need, don't wait to ask for help because supplies are going fast.
"There are so many people unemployed [and] there are many people that don’t have the means to put food on the table so what we really see now that it’s gone up in the past couple of weeks, there has been a real demand for [the food pantry]," says co-organizer with the pantry, Christy Everett.
Everett says she hopes this small gesture also inspires others to give back.
"The message is just - can you share with others? Do you have anything to share? Can we take care of each other?" Everett says.
In the age of coronavirus we need more than food to nourish the soul, "It lets the community know that people are caring for them and that people are aware of their situation and want to help," Rev. Hennessy says.
