Here to help

Douglas and Linda Cosby receive, sort and organize volunteers to help them distribute the food during the mobile food pantry, which is scheduled for the second Monday of every month, rain or shine. 

For example, Linda serves as the point person on food inventory, counting and recording quantities of each item on a clipboard. 

“She is the brains behind this operation,” volunteer Nancy Johnson said. 

Douglas, a research animal scientist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Linda, a preschool teacher, have led the food pantry since 2021 and have been members of the Lexington Baptist Church for six years. 

“This is part of the church's mission to help the community and those in need,” Douglas said. 

The monthly distribution day begins at 1 p.m., when the Cosbys arrive at the church with pre-ordered U-Haul boxes that are later used to designate each household's food. At 2:30 p.m., a delivery truck arrives with the month's food supply sourced from the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia. 

Setup takes about 2½ hours, distribution lasts throughout the afternoon and clean-up amounts to an additional hour. There is always something to be done, Linda said. 

The Dec. 11 food distribution began at 3:30 p.m. and ended around 5 p.m. Volunteers handed out food boxes until every car was served. 

Each month, when the food starts running out, they fill boxes with what they have left. Two vehicles arrived 10 minutes after 5 p.m., rolling down their window and asking, "Are y'all closed?'' 

Without hesitation, the volunteers paused their cleanup and grabbed a box. 

"I know a lot of times people say, well, it's a holiday or something, are you going to have the food pantry? The food pantry happens on the second Monday of every month, regardless,” Linda said. “Even if there's just 10 people here, we'll fill those boxes." 

Community effort

Advertising by word of mouth for volunteers, the food pantry relies on community participation. 

The 19 volunteers in December consisted of church members, which typically comprise the majority of volunteers, and non-members. 

They included grandparents, grandchildren, employees of the Oglethorpe County Sheriff’s Office and Will Eberhart, a public works department supervisor. 

Steven Coker, a Bible study teacher at the church, is one of the longest-serving volunteers, for 15 years. 

“I don't think we've ever had too many,” said Douglas, when asked about volunteers. 

Some months, such as the December outreach, have fewer than normal amount of volunteers due to sickness and holiday travel.

The primary challenge with volunteers is related to the timing of the food pantry. The pantry operates midday, so it relies primarily on retired individuals to serve as volunteers, Linda said, because others are still at work or in school. 

Sometimes primary and elementary school students join because their school day ends earlier, and pantry organizers also look forward to help from the OCHS football team.

The church is a partner agency with the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia and pays a membership fee each year in exchange for monthly food delivery. This organization moves about a million pounds of food each month, serving over 200 operations similar to Lexington Baptist Church’s food pantry.

Each Food Bank agency must be a 501(c)(3) and undergo mandatory training, paperwork and inspection before being vetted. The inspection's purpose is to ensure they know how the food will be used (emergency boxes, serving food onsite, etc.) and to ensure they have volunteers and a space to keep the food safe.

The pantry receives lentils and dried split peas, with the Cosbys noting a lack of meat and cheese. Spaghetti, rice, cans and nuts are other commonly received items. Occasionally, they receive seasonal items, such as holiday candy, pumpkin pie and produce, such as spaghetti squash.

"We never know what's coming until it gets here," Linda said. 

Each box in December contained three bags of grapes, two bags of split peas, two bags of raisins, two bags of rice, two bags of walnuts, two cans of green beans, two cans of corn, two bags of almonds, two bags of chicken, along with tomatoes, spaghetti squash and muffins. Snacks included applesauce. 

Tracey Massey, the food bank’s manager of guest experience, said the food is priced at 18 cents per pound. It is acquired from monetary donations, USDA farm programs and partnerships with grocery stores. 

“It doesn't matter what it is; it could be a big tomahawk steak. It's 18 cents a pound,” Massey said.

Stores such as Kroger, Publix, The Fresh Market, Walmart, Sam's Club and Costco Wholesale supply food that is about to expire, including pastries, produce and bread. 

Community need

The demand ebbs and flows, with more individuals and families coming to the food pantry in the spring. 

“Sometimes we have a lot leftover,” Linda said. “Sometimes, we have had to turn away cars, and that's an awful feeling.”

Douglas added: “Some people will get a little aggravated, but you just apologize and go on.”

They handle a surplus of food in a few ways: they either give more to households utilizing the pantry, store it for the following month, share it with another partner organization, such as the Oglethorpe County Senior Center, or give it to local livestock farms, if it's spoiled.

The December food pantry had a surplus of tomatoes; volunteers offered two extra bags to each car, delighting many. 

Beneficiaries of the food pantry express gratitude in various ways. 

"They give you a hug, or they hand you a handful of Life Savers because they don't want you to be out here in the heat,” Linda said. “They offer you bottles of water because they know you're walking up and down the street, and you're hot."

One year, Linda received a hand-drawn thank you note.

"The lady had just sat there in the line waiting, and she's just penciled this card,” she said. “And that's her thanks for the way that this has blessed her." 

This story was written by the Covering Poverty project, which is part of the Cox Institute’s Journalism Writing Lab at the University of Georgia.