Record numbers in 2019

Love In Action's food ministry hit record numbers in 2019. More than 38,000 pounds of food was distributed through LIA's food pantry, and more than 28,000 hot meals were served at LIA's coffee house.

We have always used food as a tool to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus says He will make us fishers of men. To fish you need bait. Food is our bait to draw people in to hear the Gospel.

People also experience the Gospel through the food ministry. When Jesus fed the 5,000 with the miracle of the five loaves of bread and two fish, He showed that He cared about the people's physical needs. When people are hungry and you can meet that need, they realize you care about them. Therefore, they will listen to what you have to say. We have seen tens of thousands come to Jesus through our food ministry over the past 19 years.

The need for food is real in Dothan where 1-in-6 people are food insecure, meaning they don't know where their next meal is coming from. Love In Action is thankful to be able to help meet some of those needs.

We couldn't do it without the wonderful people who live in Dothan and the Wiregrass. People donate non-perishable foods, perishable foods we can keep in a freezer and give out through our food pantry, cook casseroles for us to serve and so much more.

A local high school and businesses also play a big role in LIA's food ministry.

Rehobeth High School's FFA grows crops for LIA during the spring and summer. Longhorn Steakhouse, Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen, Dante's Pizza, and Olive Garden all donate food to LIA. CAE USA cooks 90 meals for us every Thursday and Friday. Flying J donated food and sandwiches for half of 2019.

It's a huge help to us, and I like the fact food is not being thrown away. We see a lot of people who are genuinely hungry. Thanks to the kindness and generosity of the people here in our community, we are making a dent in the hunger problem here.

Love In Action receives its food from the Southeastern Food Bank, which is headquartered in Orlando. AMX Trucking hauls the food to Dothan.

Southeastern Food Bank has been a huge blessing to us. We receive all of the food free. The requirements to receive the food is to share the Gospel and keep records, which we were already doing when the food bank approached us over two years ago. And, for AMX to truck the food to us for free is amazing. We can't thank them enough.

LIA's food ministry will continue to expand in 2020 as the needs continue to rise.

We will soon be constructing a warehouse for food, therefore we will be able to accept more food from the Southeastern Food Bank. That will be a huge blessing to many more people here in the Wiregrass.

We also hope to expand our hot meals ministry with the expansion of our kitchen and taking the mobile kitchen out more. That will require more funds and volunteers, but we know God will provide in His timing.

If you would like to give financially to help LIA spread the Gospel through its food ministry, please mail your tax-deductible donations to: Love In Action, PO Box 85, Dothan, AL 36302. Or, you may give securely online via PayPal through LIA's website. Just click on this link, https://loveinactionministries.com/donate , and then click on the "Donate" button.

Thank you and God bless you.