Faith in Action: How Local Churches Help Us Feed Families in Coweta and Fayette Counties

Last week, a group of students from the youth ministry at Living Faith Fellowship in Fayetteville came to the Real Life Center and got to work in our warehouse. Box by box and can by can, they sorted food that will soon fill the grocery bags of neighbors who walk through our doors.

For years, local churches have stood shoulder to shoulder with us to meet the needs of families facing financial hardship and food insecurity in Coweta and Fayette counties. Today, we want to say thank you and introduce you to some of the congregations who make this work possible.

Since 2015 (The year we began digital reporting of donations.), local churches have donated 222,977 pounds of nonperishable food, household goods, and personal care items to the Real Life Center. Behind every one of those pounds is a neighbor who did not have to choose between groceries and the electric bill, and a family who was reminded that they are not alone.

Jesus said, "For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat" (Matthew 25:35). Our church partners live out those words in practical, faithful ways, and we are so grateful to serve alongside them.

Each year, Carriage Lane Presbyterian Church hosts a benefit concert for the Real Life Center and holds a food drive at the same time. It is such a fantastic way to provide for our neighbors, bringing people together around music, community, and generosity. Over the years, they have donated 6,446 pounds of food.

First Baptist Church of Peachtree City has been a faithful partner for many years.  Since 2015 they have donated 46,980 pounds of food. They hold food drives for us every two to three months, all year long, which helps keep our shelves stocked throughout every season. Each year, they also invite us to share our mission with their church family, and we are thankful for that open door.

Grace Church in Fayetteville is dear to us. They host our monthly mobile food pantry and provide volunteers and breakfast every month. Through food drives and other donations, they have also provided 12,242 pounds of food. Each year, they present a special Christmas program for our clients as they wait for the mobile pantry car line to begin. It is a beautiful picture of hospitality, and a reminder that every person who comes for food is welcomed as a guest.

Living Faith Fellowship began partnering with us in 2022 and has already donated 7,036 pounds of food through food drives and our Adopt-A-Pantry Item program. Their support goes beyond the donation bin. Members have served with us at the Real Life Center, including the youth group who came to sort food in our warehouse just last week.

For many years, Southside Church has included the Real Life Center in Be Rich, its annual generosity campaign, and through their generosity, we have received multiple grants that have met many big needs, including Real Life Center vehicles. They have also held food drives for us, and those drives have brought in 16,890 pounds of food.

For many years, St. Paul Lutheran Church and School have held food drives that have contributed 14,150 pounds of food to our pantry. They also give faithfully, serve in our orchard and in our center, and are quick to help whenever there is a need.

Word of God Lutheran Church participates in our Adopt-A-Pantry Item program and provides laundry detergent for our clients, an everyday essential that can be hard to fit into a tight budget. They also hold a food drive for us during Vacation Bible School. And each Christmas, they provide 200 complete Christmas meals in a bag so families can gather around a full table.

We are also grateful for these congregations who give, serve, and pray alongside us:

• Apostolic Christian Church participates in our Adopt-A-Pantry Item program.
• Christ Our Shepherd Lutheran Church provides Christmas meal bags.
• Evergreen Church has awarded us a grant each year for a few years for much-needed items.
• First Presbyterian Church of Peachtree City holds food drives.
• Go Church serves with us.
• Overcome Church holds food drives and serves with us.
• Peachtree City United Methodist Church serves with us.
• Providence Church holds food drives and serves with us.
• St. Andrews in the Pines collects Christmas meal bags through a reverse Advent calendar.

Hunger does not take a season off. Families in our community face hard choices in winter, spring, and summer, not just in the fall. Steady, ongoing partnerships keep our shelves stocked and our doors open all year long.

When churches across Coweta and Fayette counties come together, we get to see the body of Christ at work: many congregations, many gifts, and one shared mission of Meeting Needs and Sharing Christ.

If your church would like to partner with the Real Life Center, we would love to talk with you. A food drive, a benefit concert, a service day, or an idea no one has tried yet: get creative! Every partnership looks a little different, and there is a place for your congregation here.

Click the "Learn More" button today to start the conversation about partnering with the Real Life Center.