Church fights against food insecurity in Jefferson County

Volunteers distributing food at Beth Page Missionary Baptist Church
Photo Courtesy: Leah Sinclair

As a community struggles with access to nutritious food, a local church steps in to provide weekly donations of fresh fruits, vegetables, and canned items.

Beth Page Missionary Baptist Church, located in Jefferson County, Florida, holds weekly food distributions for the community to receive groceries. Second Harvest of the Big Bend supports these distribution efforts by providing a truckload of donations to the church every Thursday. Volunteers distribute the donations from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. 

Jefferson County, sitting 23 miles east of Tallahassee, has a population of 14,510 residents, according to 2020 census data. During that year, the food insecurity rate in the county was 12.4%. Food insecurity is the state of not having access to sufficient, nutritious food to meet one’s basic needs.

The food insecurity rate in Jefferson County has since increased, with 14.2 % of the county’s population having limited access to nutrient-rich food, as demonstrated in data released by Florida’s Department of Health.

With these numbers in mind, church leadership sought to close this gap in access. First Lady Constance Manning credited her daughter’s work with Second Harvest for inspiring the church’s food donation effort.

“My daughter was working with [Second Harvest], and she was telling me that there’s a lot of people in different counties that didn’t know anything about Second Harvest at the time,” Manning said.

Manning’s daughter asked if Manning would be willing to gather volunteers to distribute the produce Second Harvest would provide for those in need. It was decided that this initiative was essential to support the community.Jennifer Harris, a recipient of these donations, expressed that the initiative has helped her and her family fulfill their weekly food needs.

“A lot of times, I don’t have money to provide food to put on the table, and with this it helps me out. I’m very thankful for it every week. I’m very happy that I come down here to Beth Page,” Harris said.

Preparations for donation distribution begin around 8 a.m., but some volunteers arrive as early as 7 a.m. to start organizing. Emily Anderson is one of the early-bird volunteers who assists the church.

“I just love getting up here in the morning, Anderson said. “I’m ushering the families in to get the food, and because I’m here, I talk to some of the people, and they tell us about the great job we’re doing, and it’s a big help to them. They thank God for us being here for them in the community.” 

Despite having only 10 to 15 volunteers at a time, this endeavor serves as many as 200 people weekly. First Lady Manning shared that she hopes to expand and continue helping those in the area.

“We’re just hoping to be able to help someone put some food on their table,” Manning said.