The United Food Bank of Plant City was facing the threat of empty shelves when Scott McIntosh, pastor of City Pointe Church, and his congregation decided to fill the need.
The food bank faces an increase in demand for children’s food during the summer due to schools being out. It gives out over 700 kid’s bags a week, according to Mary Heysek, the director of United Food Bank of Plant City.
When City Pointe heard of the need it decided to act. McIntosh said the church works off the idea that Plant City should be a better place because the church is in it.
If there are other organizations in the community successfully meeting a need, McIntosh said, there is no reason for his church to “reinvent the wheel.” He said this community is stronger together and makes it a point to partner with organizations that are serving Plant City.
“We’re for all the other churches in the city, other organizations and ministries, but we are against children going hungry,” McIntosh said. “Lot’s of churches do food drives and organizations do drives where they donate cans of food, but we believe they know the need better than we do. So rather than give them something they already have we are going to help them get whatever it is they actually need”
City Pointe pledged $500 and reached out to the community via social media in search of someone to match its donation. Rise Plant City, a young professionals group that creates networking opportunities for professionals in Plant City, stepped up to the challenge.
Emily Topper, a board member for Rise, heard about McIntosh’s challenge and reached out to her fellow board members to join in the donation.
“We decided to take the funds from our dodgeball tournament, which were going to the food bank anyway, and add enough to make that $500 match so that between the two organizations the food bank would receive $1,000,” Topper said.
The two groups presented their checks Friday to Heysek after touring the facilities and learning about the demand the food bank faces to provide for the community. Last year over 40,000 people were fed and over 1.2 million pounds of food was distributed. Just last month over 1,000 families were helped, providing food for approximately 3,500 people.
“Oh gosh this is going to be able to help our kid’s program for the rest of the summer, which is where we’ve been very very low and deficient,” Heysek said. “In fact, we were coming to an almost complete halt this past week and we were happy it was a long weekend so we would be able to rejuvenate again.”
Heysek, who served on the board of the United Food Bank since 2011 before being named executive director in 2016, said her position with the organization has changed her entire outlook on the issue.
“I think people think these people are just looking for a handout and they’re not,” Heysek said. “The people who come here are truly in need.”
McIntosh is still hoping someone else will step up to the challenge and help fill the shelves of the food bank. He said he believes others in the community have a desire to help but may not yet know about the need.
After hearing about the extensive work the food bank does for Plant City, Christy Lyle, chairman of the board for Rise, is excited to continue to aid the organization.
“I feel like for a town like Plant City this is perfect,” Lyle said. “I love the idea of it not being a handout but a hand up… I’d like for Rise to be more involved, maybe even volunteer on Tuesday nights or something.”
The food bank relies heavily on volunteers and is always in need of more. Donations can be made both at the bank and on its website.