PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) – First Baptist Church in Panama City is expanding its food drive schedule to help local workers affected by the government shutdown that began on October 1.
The church is holding food drives every Monday until the government shutdown ends, instead of its regular bi-weekly schedule.
On November 3rd, 305 families received assistance during the free distribution from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
“Hopefully, we are putting food in hungry people’s bellies and hopefully we are being a blessing to them,” said Rick McClung, executive pastor. “The impact, as far as we know, we’re not necessarily looking for tangible ways for the response, we just want to be a blessing to the community.”
Volunteers distributed 1,785 total meals by the end of Monday’s drive, more than four times what the church typically provides during its regular food distributions.
The church will continue providing meals every Monday and return to its bi-weekly schedule when the government reopens. The service is free and open to the public.
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