Students get an appetite for local missions

While most students use their weekends to relax or catch up on homework, Liberty University students were volunteering with Feed the City in downtown Lynchburg on Saturday, March 21. Throughout the day, over 100 boxes of food were assembled and distributed at the historic Kemper Street Market by student volunteers.

In August 2008, Liberty students Jonathan and Laura Mills introduced Feed the City to Lynchburg. Since then, more than 700 boxes of food have been purchased and distributed using Angel Food Ministries, a non-profit, non-denominational organization that provides financial support in the form of food relief and has fed more than 20 million Americans.

“My husband and I have been so blessed by the opportunity to serve the downtown community,” said Laura Mills, who serves as the site director for Feed the City Lynchburg. “It is great to see Liberty students volunteer their time. … It’s important for students to participate in local mission opportunities within their community while pursuing their education. This is a unique opportunity where they can be a blessing as well as be blessed.”

Feed the City offers a medium-sized box of food for $30 that contains top-quality food staples from every food group, including chicken or beef, milk, eggs, vegetables and other nutritious items. One box of food feeds a family of four for about one week, or a single senior citizen for almost a month. The menu varies each month and consists of both fresh and frozen food items with an average retail value of approximately $60.