JARRETT GOODMAN
Staff Writer
Community volunteers and members of Morton Memorial Methodist Church in Monteagle recently gathered together to provide food to those in need during the church’s recent food drive on Valentine’s Day.
Held every second Saturday each month, Morton Memorial’s food mission has been a long running, volunteer staple within the community for over 20 years. Elise Getty, Director for the church’s food mission, explained each food drive averaged over 250 families being provided a variety of food products, all who visit throughout the year totaling over 7,000 individuals.
“In our partnership with Monteagle Elementary School, the kids from the BETA club come and bag food for children who don’t have food over the weekend,” Getty said. “That’s another 1,800 children during the course of the year that get food.”
The Chattanooga Area Food Bank serves as a major partner with Morton Memorial and primary donor for the food sent to the church every year. All food ordered from food bank are shipped directly to the church in tractor trailers, where everything gets unloaded and set up for the next food drive held within the premises.
Getty said each month, the church averages 20 to 60 volunteers who participate to help those in need within the community. In addition to volunteers, the church receives additional support from local residents, food banks, and non-profits who pitch in to contribute towards the cause.
“Over half of our volunteers are from the community,” Getty said. “We are also a very fortunate recipient of the Monteagle-Sewanee Rotary Club. They do a hunger walk every fall and the area’s food pantries, banks, and us are all recipients of dollars from that hunger walk.”
In recent years, both the COVID-19 pandemic and the government cuts in SNAP benefits back in November caused significant increases in families visiting the church’s monthly food drives, which led volunteers and church members to restructure the food mission to meet the growing demand. Pastor Melisa Derseweh of Morton Memorial stated how the church itself has a long standing history of giving away food during times of food insecurity within the area, with the church dependent on the support of volunteers willing to help give back to those in need.
“This couldn’t happen if our neighbors don’t show up on our campus,” Derseweh said. “We’re counting on them to come and be with us.”
Pastor Dersewah shared how the food mission allowed each member of Morton Memorial to live out the church’s mission of being the hands and feet of God, giving back to the community and providing to those struggling and in need. The mission also provided members of the community an opportunity to come together for a major cause, further incorporating the churches’ message of neighbors supporting one another, a message to be carried on for years to come.
“The food mission lets us be with neighbors, and Jesus was very clear to love God and love our neighbors,” Derseweh said. “What this mission also means is that we get to be with our neighbors and talk with them.”