At Healing Heart Food Pantry in Lincoln County, WV, community members in need receive so much more than just food. They’re met with compassion, love, and care for their health and well-being. Volunteers greet visitors with open arms, often by name, and work thoughtfully to meet their most pressing needs.
“Our goal is to make them feel like family because they bless us,” said Shirley Justice, pantry director. “We want it to be a good experience for them and to feel like a place they can come to grocery shop. They are treated with respect here.”
When patrons enter the doors to the pantry, which is located at McCorkle Freewill Baptist Church, they are greeted, asked to take a number, and invited to relax in a lobby-style area. As they wait, volunteers check in, offer a listening ear, and note any specific needs they or their families may have. The notes are later used to connect people to additional resources within the community.
Before the distribution begins, volunteers and pantry patrons who choose to participate gather in a circle to pray.
After their number is called, visitors grab a grocery cart and make their way around a long line of tables containing shelf-stable foods, produce, meat, milk, eggs, and bread. They choose the items that best suit their households, selecting foods they are excited to take home and prepare.
Pantry leaders strive to provide a variety of items that enable visitors to create full meals. Staple food items are purchased through a partnership with Facing Hunger Food Bank based in Huntington. Pantry volunteers also have formed connections with local grocers and farmers to obtain additional specialty items such as fresh vegetables, fruits, and baked goods for those visiting the pantry.
The pantry, which is located in Sod, distributes food twice a month to more than 200 residents of Lincoln, Logan, Boone, Kanawha, and Wayne counties. Local church members and community volunteers run the organization with support from McCorkle Freewill Baptist Church’s Outreach Ministries.
“We want to make sure that the people in our counties are taken care of and that nobody goes hungry,” Shirley said. “They love us just like they love their own family, and they’ve got people depending on us. We want to be a blessing.”
How Healing Heart Food Pantry supports its community:
- Twice-monthly food distributions
- Emergency and senior food box distributions
- Food for local school backpack programs
- Home delivery of food to those without transportation
- Hygiene items, clothing, household goods, and furniture
- Spiritual care and support
- Connection to community resources
For food distribution information or to learn more about Healing Heart Food Pantry,
visit the pantry’s Facebook page (@healingheartfoodpantry) or call 304-993-2392.
