In January of 2019, when many in the Washington, D.C. area were facing scarcity due to being furloughed, Sydenstricker United Methodist Church in Springfield reached out to families and individuals, providing home-cooked meals as well as non-perishable food and non-food items.
When the furlough ended, it became apparent that many neighbors were still in need of assistance, and the Food Corner was born.
Sydenstricker already had a strong food ministry, making thousands of sandwiches each month for Martha’s Table, an agency that supports homeless and low-income families in Washington, D.C. As part of that ministry, sandwich items were gleaned from the Capital Area Food Bank and Giant Foods once a week.
The gleaning was expanded in order to also stock the items necessary to provide for the individuals and families that were coming to the Food Corner each Tuesday afternoon. The Sydenstricker family has also been very generous with both physical and financial resources. When the pandemic hit, coordinators and volunteers did not miss a beat, setting up menus and curbside service. The number of volunteers needed increased dramatically, but there has been no difficulty in finding loving hearts that are willing to serve.
What started out as a ministry that provided for 20-25 individuals and families has expanded to serving between 80 and 90 per week.
Click here to view a video about the Food Corner ministry