CPC Community Feeding
Plan
We have some supplies marked Emergency
Use Only in the Missions
Room. These are not for general
distribution in food boxes. These are
for bulk feeding in the event of supply chain disruption and community
hunger. These are items such as beans,
rice, pasta, and even Ramen.
I have some frozen meat (very little) in the back freezer. Mostly we are looking at carb-heavy meals
that put calories into hungry stomachs, sometimes with a taste of meat. The F4
frozen meat will remain allocated to F4.
Should we need to feed some from the community, we would
need people to bring fresh items such as onions, peppers, carrots, potatoes,
and the like. We could also take other
donations such as rice, pasta, and even some meat. While national systems may be disrupted, food
will be available locally from gardens and freezers. The food on hand will prime the pump but a
procurement system will be necessary for long-term feeding.
We will need donations from the community that we are feeding.
Should there be a need, we would begin to feed on Mondays
and Fridays. We could continue F4 for
those who attend worship and classes, but the other two days would be for
general community feeding. A copy of our
plan will go to the other churches in the Ministerial Alliance so they may
serve the community without redundancy.
Our Focus is Burns Flat and Dill City to some extent, but I would hope
that the Dill City Churches would take on part of this need.
Food box distribution will be stopped or significantly
reduced because of the plenary need.
Mobilization
This will not be a zero to sixty operation. A mobilization period of 2 weeks is
needed. This gives people a chance to
exhaust what they have in personal stores and reserves. Some have more/less than others but most
should be able to survive on what they have for 2 weeks.
Those who have an abundance will be encouraged to give
during this period so as to increase the church's stores.
Logistics
I estimate between 100 and 400 people per feeding once
underway. Portion size will be
conservative. Drinks will likely be ice
water with some occasional tea or Kool-aide.
People will need to bring their own bowl, spoon, cup or
glass, and napkins. We will not use
consumable paper and plastic supplies.
This information will be posted at the usual spots in town. We will not do take out unless we know the
person and their need.
Feeding will be once per day, likely in the evening.
I will need 4-6 helpers each week. I would like to have a
project manager but can run this myself if needed. While in many ways this is
transactional—people show up and we feed them; we want to use the opportunity
to be transformational—call people to know and serve Jesus as Lord.
We need a prayer station at each meal (probably in the
sanctuary). I would like to have 1 or 2
elders to man this station. The station will have gospels for distribution as
needed. If a relationship is sustained,
we may give the family a Bible. Those
seeking a relationship with the Lord should be referred to the pastor. This does not preclude the elders from
permitting the individual or family from professing their faith.
Should disruption of services continue beyond 3-5 weeks, we
will need a reliable source of supply. I
suggest that two people be assigned to identify procurement sources.
Funding
Food for this mission has been taken from the Local Help
line item. While we have already
exceeded the $800 appropriated from the budget for the Local Help line item; we
have funds that have been donated specifically for the purpose of helping the
local community. Of all the areas where
we are not currently struggling financially, local help leads the list.
Judicious expenditure of the funds while supplies are not in high demand is
essential. Funding without a reasonable
source of supply will leave us ill-prepared to address community needs.
Mitigation
Should we be blessed not to have this need to meet, the food
stored could be transitioned to food boxes and F4 supplements in the next
fiscal year. I will approach the session
and ask for concurrence before transitioning emergency supplies for general
consumption in other programs. I
anticipate having a clearer picture of the national situation and community
need by October 2021 (FY22).
My hope is that this is just an exercise in logistical
planning, but this is not a need that can be well met without advanced planning
and preparation. It cannot be fully met without prayer and participation by
many in this body and the community.
Should it look like we may need to do this,
refinements and assignments will follow.
Helpers are always available and ready.
Finding procurement managers in lean times requires someone with gifts,
perseverance, and a calling to serve the body in this manner. Pray about this
