Greensboro Reporter

After thieves took food out of the mouths of the needy, the Greensboro community pulled together to raise the money to restock the food pantry and then some.

Almost $1,000 worth of food was stolen from the Vandalia Presbyterian Church’s food pantry in late October, prompting the community response. Now, heading into the holiday season, the food has been replaced and more resources are available.

“It just gives us hope that the world is a good place,” Judy Mays, a volunteer at the church, told Fox 8 News. 

After the crime, the church, with a congregation of 23, thought it might have to close the food pantry. All of the meat stolen and the rising cost of food had prompted higher demand that had basically cleared the shelves of nonperishables.

Soon after the news broke, though, 13 businesses and more than seven sister churches answered the call to help. Volunteers said bags of food came pouring in, giving them the opportunity to restock the shelves.

“One was a young lady who had been a foster child, and she had been a recipient of our food pantry,” Mays told Fox 8 News. “She was homeless, and we had helped her years ago, and she collected enough money to buy 20 bags of food." Volunteer Lynn Gardner agreed that when someone has been helped by a pantry during a rough time, they are more likely to help in crisis when they can. 

“It’s changed a lot of people’s lives; it’s gone basically all over the country,” Gardner said, according to Fox 8 News. “We get checks and phone calls from people in other states." 

The pantry estimated that it received nearly $30,000 in donations, so it’s now able to help more people in the community.

The outreach has broadened to the point that volunteers are helping some people who can’t get by or didn’t know they could get help.

“We’ve found out about people like a guy that lives by himself, who has cancer. His sister called from another state and said, 'My brother really needs some help,' so we got food together and went to his apartment,” Gardner told Fox 8 News.

The church’s community closet also will focus on helping more people now. 

“All things come together good for those who believe in the Lord, and I definitely think that’s what happened here. And whoever broke into the church, we should probably thank them,” Gardner said, according to Fox 8 News.

The Vandalia Presbyterian Church food pantry is open on Wednesday from 9 a.m. to noon if you’d like to drop off donations or talk to the volunteers about offering assistance.