Food Bank
“I was hungry and you gave me something to eat.”
Practice
Find a food bank. Look for nearby places responding to food insecurity.
Volunteer in community. Build relationship while you are volunteering.
Risk relationally. Extend yourself to those near you who are not like you.
Reflect on provision. Be thankful when your needs are met, and grateful that you are invited to join God in meeting the daily needs of others.
Providing food for those in need is a universal practice of those who follow the way of Jesus. From the very first expressions of the Church in the first century to every expression of the Church across continents and cultures today, providing food is a tangible practice of loving your neighbor. “The one thing I think it's impossible to get away from is Jesus' command to care for the person who is not like you and who is close to you. I think that is the best definition of neighbor, right?” says Alex Walton, Lead Pastor of South Fellowship, with a grin and an engaging English accent.
The Food Bank at South Fellowship Church has been providing food for neighbors, those who are close to them and often not like them, for over 40 years. The first iteration was a small group of families who operated it from a basement. It is a practice that has been led by several leaders over the years. Erin Young began volunteering with the Food Bank in 2014 when looking for an opportunity to volunteer with her young children. Over the years, her role increased. She is now on staff as Director of Outreach with a full time Food Bank Manager working alongside her. Her leadership, combined with Alex Walton, who became Lead Pastor of South Fellowship in 2020, has integrated the Food Bank into the daily life and mission of the congregation.
Over the last 5 years, the South Fellowship Food Bank has grown into an initiative that provides food for over 150 families each week. Providing this amount of food is a practice that requires an incredible amount of organization and dependence on God’s provision. The distribution is three days a week on Wednesday evenings, Saturday mornings, and Sunday mornings for the congregation, but it is a seven-day a week operation with food collection Monday through Saturday from multiple grocery stores. The work of collection is done by dozens of individuals with their personal vehicles, along with a Food Bank van. The best estimate for 2025 is that over $750,000 in donated food was provided to neighbors, along with another $250,000 in volunteer labor.
The Food Bank at South Fellowship is stocked like a small grocery market where families select their food. This shift began in 2018 with a renovation of the physical space and ministry model. The Food Bank demonstrates dignity to families who depend on it. It is shopping for a family’s food rather than receiving a premade handout. The Food Bank operates with no verification requirements, simply asking shoppers to provide a first and last name, with no income, immigration, or identification required. This approach allows the Food Bank to serve a broad range of people, including families who have recently arrived in Denver without documentation, those experiencing a temporary job loss or financial strain, and even people with well-paying jobs in a moment where rising food costs are challenging. The stewardship of donated food continues beyond the Food Bank, as a pig farmer collects leftover produce, and a local jam producer collects overripe fruit.
Located in a predominantly white neighborhood in Littleton, the Food Bank at South Fellowship served people from 33 different nations last year. The diversity of those engaging the Food Bank is an invitation for the volunteers and congregation to enter a cross-cultural experience on a regular basis. Often, English is not the primary language being spoken in the Food Bank. Building relationship in places where I am “the other” creates a unique opportunity to encounter God. “The Food Bank is about minimizing the divide between those giving and receiving food,” shared Erin. “We’re rescuing food together.”
A food bank is a tangible practice to join God in providing daily bread, along with cereal, soup, salad, and even a bag of sugar cookies to our neighbors.
Thank you to Alex Walton and Erin Young for their conversations and contribution to this article, and to South Fellowship Church for faithfully loving their neighbors who experience food insecurity.
