By Ellen Andersen

I had a lot of time on my hands. Too much time. I wasn’t working anymore, but there were plenty of things I could do to make a difference, if I could only find a place to do so.  I looked into my church and found a need I could fill.

There’s a ministry at Fellowship Greenville called Taste of Grace. When someone has a short-term need for food because of illness and they don’t have family nearby to help them, volunteers will provide meals for the family.  It could be for a few days or a few weeks, depending on the need.

The only problem was a lack of organization.

Plenty of people were willing to help meet the need, but they didn’t know how. I stepped up and offered to set up and coordinate a group that people could call on. The person in charge of Care Ministries at church gave me a list of all the women in the church so I could reach out and who would be willing to help out.

After making a lot of phone calls, I made a list of a few dozen volunteers. When someone needed a meal, I would match them up. Some people bought frozen meals that the church stored in a freezer in the event that no one could make a meal at the last minute.

Many times, people were involved in a Sunday School class and/or a community group that took care of their needs.  But if someone either didn’t have anyone to help them, or their friends needed a break, Taste of Grace stepped in.

I didn’t do a whole lot, but setting up the list and arranging for meals to be delivered when someone needed it made a difference to them.

photos courtesy of pixabay