THOMASVILLE, Ga. (WTXL) — After Thomasville’s initial soup kitchen was shut down for several years, Reverend Brown decided he would reopen it to help serve the community, thus opening the Faith Soup Kitchen.
Through donations and partnering with Second Harvest the soup kitchen was able to make a comeback.
Reverend Brown says, “Everybody can’t buy a 5-course meal. Everybody can’t go to McDonald's. Everybody can’t have lunch and spend money, amen. We are here, we have this soup kitchen for the people that are hungry, amen. That they can come, and they can eat, and it doesn’t cost them a dime.”
According to Feeding America in Thomas County, food insecurities affects 1 in 6 of the general population and 1 in 5 children.
Eliza McCall has worked with Second Harvest South Georgia for 9 years. She says food insecurity streams from multiple facets, but one plays a major role.
McCall says, “The number one factor that impedes people getting food assistance is transportation. It’s the largest barrier entry for people getting the help that they need.”
Programs such as the Mobile Pantry Program has been put in place to combat that. They load food onto trucks and can take the food into communities where the need is the greatest.
To put an end to hunger McCall feels there must be more cooperation among the groups doing the work and more flexibility in the federal and state nutrition programs. More flexibility will allow for tailored programs for rural areas instead of making these resources one size fits all.
