Fresh Food For Families in Need

As families struggle with financial hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic, 1,300 boxes of fresh food will arrive in Roswell on Friday, June 19 for distribution to those in need. The boxes will be available on a first-come, first-served basis to anyone facing economic challenges in these uncertain times. The project is a partnership between Convoy of Hope, an international relief organization, and Hope Roswell, a network of volunteers from churches across Roswell.

Each box will contain fresh fruit, vegetables, pre-cooked meat, cheese, butter, and milk. Each one will provide relief not only for a family impacted by the financial downturn but also for a farmer whose income has suffered due to the pandemic. As part of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program, the USDA has purchased food from suppliers affected by the closure of restaurants, hotels, and other businesses. Various food banks and non-profits also play a role, helping to get the food to those who need it most.

Amid the current financial devastation, organizers of the local effort said they are thankful to offer families relief—one box of food and one word of support at a time. Some, who have already been involved in relief activities, said a simple box of groceries can make a major difference for a family in need.

Elsewhere in Georgia, for example, volunteers were brought to tears by the reaction of a single mother when they handed her a donation box. She told them she had no idea how her family would have gotten food for their next meal if the help hadn’t come along. “People have been so grateful,” said Eric Gordon, who is the Southeast program director for Convoy of Hope and one of the people behind the upcoming Roswell effort.

Pastor Tim Newby has also seen the comfort and sense of relief a gift of simple necessities can bring. Newby and members of his Roswell church will be on hand for the June event and have already been involved in Convoy of Hope distributions. Earlier in the crisis, Newby watched unseen while a woman came into the church to pick up her donated items, which had been left on a table to comply with the need for social distancing. Before she took the food, the woman kneeled to say a grateful prayer of thanks.

“These were such simple items, and it hit me then how much we take for granted,” said Newby, who is the pastor of Roswell Assembly of God.

The local need is great enough that one woman who got help knew of five other families she referred for assistance, recalled Newby. She knew a lot people who had lost their jobs, and she herself was a single mother with three teenage boys, a demographic known for being hard on even non-pandemic budgets.

Also especially grateful have been workers in the airline industry and international students unable to get home as their schools shut down, said Gordon.

For Hope Roswell, the partnership with Convoy of Hope is an opportunity to pivot from their popular yearly festival, during which free services and support are offered in a spirit of celebration every spring. During the Roswell Day of Hope, more than fifteen hundred guests typically receive medical checkups, haircuts, entertainment, and support, all of it free of charge for those in need. This year, the need for social distancing meant outreach by the group had to take a new form during the pandemic crisis. Hope Roswell also works to meet the needs of local families in projects throughout the year.

“Serving the community is what Hope Roswell is all about, so when Roswell Assembly of God Church and Convoy of Hope approached us with this opportunity, we quickly said yes,” said Hope Roswell director Brenda Orlans. “We thank God for the opportunity to serve folks in and around our community.”

If You Go: The boxes will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis Friday, June 19 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Vickery Mill Elementary School, 1201 Alpharetta Street in Roswell. No sign-up or form of identification is required. Volunteers will bring the boxes to the cars of recipients, and all CDC guidelines will be followed in the distribution process.

About Convoy of Hope: Help the founders themselves received after the death of a family member was part of the inspiration behind Convoy of Hope Through community outreach programs and disaster response, the faith-based international organization has partnered with businesses, churches, and other groups to serve more than 130 million people around the world since 1994. In the early days of the pandemic crisis, the organization set a goal to deliver more than 10 million meals across the country. That number recently surpassed the 17-million mark.