Blessings by the Pound
Members of Cherokee Baptist Association with some of our Oxford team, dropping off food donations
Your association and church's partnership helps us serve even more children and families across Alabama.
We truly could not fulfill our mission to protect, nurture, and restore children and families without churches partnering alongside us to help point them to the one who can provide their ultimate hope and healing—Jesus Christ! One such association of churches that has faithfully helped us do this for years is the Cherokee Baptist Association in northeast Alabama. For decades, one of the biggest ways the churches across the Cherokee Baptist Association have rallied together to provide support has been through the annual collection of thousands of pounds of food for the kids in our care served through our Oxford campus.
When Wendell Dutton first started working at the Cherokee Baptist Association sixteen years ago, he took over the annual “food pounding” project benefitting our ministry. He remembered collecting around 6,000 pounds of food that first year. This year, the 38 churches in the association donated 12,800 pounds of food, more than double the original amount when Wendell first started! They were able to donate more than $2,000 in gift cards as well.
Every January, Wendell shares with churches about gearing up for the annual food drive with a letter that they can include in their bulletins, and he assigns specific items to each church based on a list of needs we provide them. “This is the one thing that we do that we get 100% participation with our churches,” said Wendell. “People have a soft place for kids in their heart.”
One of the things Wendell enjoys is seeing people in all the churches getting involved, from the largest to the smallest churches, as well as being able to pray over the food and items being donated. “We always pray over the food items when we load to deliver them,” said Wendell. “And then we usually have a group prayer when we get down to the Children’s Home.”
Amber Albright serves as Area Director for Northeast Alabama and shares show the food drive both alleviates costs within our food budget for our Campus Care home, the Friendship House, as well as helps our ABCH foster families. “The food drive that Cherokee Baptist Association hosts in March is something we look forward to every year! The house parents are still able to have access to staple goods they provide but can also get fresh vegetables and meat to make delicious meals for the kids in care. With their generous donation, we are also able to share with our foster families. We are incredibly thankful for the Cherokee Baptist Association and all that they do for our ministry!”
Through this drive, Wendell has seen churches providing for more than just the physical needs of children in our care—he’s seen them living out the gospel. “It [the food drive] helps them to understand that we have ownership with ABCH, that they are dependent on us,” says Wendell. “There’s a partnership, and we have ownership in providing for those that God has placed in the care of ABCH. Our churches have a much clearer understanding that we’re in this together.”
Wendell has also seen churches grow in their partnerships with our ministry through this drive. “Some of our churches have been over to the Friendship House and have done projects like mowing grass, repairing some things, doing some painting, and cleaning,” said Wendell. “We’ve had some churches that have partnered with them [ABCH] at Christmas to deliver Christmas bags and gifts.”
Associations like the Cherokee Baptist Association and their churches who are working alongside us to provide the best care possible to children and families across Alabama are making a huge difference in many lives! We are so thankful for their support.
If you’re interested in getting your church or association involved with our ministry, visit us here, to learn more