For over a decade, the Greater Hope Foundation has been working to feed those in need in the community through their food pantry.

The foundation gives away food on the second and last Thursday every month from 9 a.m. until noon at 1115 New Sight Drive — just across from the New Sight Fire Department.

The pantry is run by community volunteers, and according to GHF member Flora Kelly, they work hard to make sure people don’t go hungry in an emergency, even between Thursdays.

“There’s always volunteers that will go back up if DHS calls, or a pastor of a church calls and says we have this member (that needs food), then somebody will go back up there and let them get some food,” Kelly said.

Kelly said those signed up with the supplemental nutrition assistance program through the Department of Human Services can use the same form to register for help from Greater Hope. People may also register at the pantry during business hours. The foundation uses guidelines from DHS and the Department of Agriculture to determine who is qualified.

Greater Hope can account for families of different sizes and incomes using guidelines from the Mississippi Food Network, allowing larger families to pick up the amount of food they need. They also allow families to choose and bag their own food within those limitations.

Kelly said the foundation is an outreach ministry of New Hope Baptist Church on 79 New Hope Trail, and the food pantry isn’t the foundation’s only project. They also have lists of house-bound and sick residents who they call daily, and they have a number of community programs and activities for children.

Greater Hope is one of the five churches and organizations who work to feed the hungry in Lincoln County. Others are St. Francis of Assisi/St. Vincent de Paul, Union Hall Baptist Church, St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church and Bethel AME. 

They will be recipients in the 13th annual Holiday Food Pantry Drive, a joint effort between Bank of Brookhaven and The Daily Leader.

In past years, individuals have donated more than $9,000 annually to support the drive.

Donors have the option of donating in honor or memory of someone, anonymously, as a business or as an individual. The contributors’ names — unless requesting anonymity — and gift are publicized in the newspaper as they come in. A grand total of donations will be printed in each issue. The food pantry drive will end Dec. 16.

Donations will be accepted at both The Daily Leader and Bank of Brookhaven. Checks can be made out to Holiday Food Pantry. Donations can be mailed to P.O. Box 551, Brookhaven, MS 39602. They’ll also be accepted at the newspaper office front desk.

Contributions to the Holiday Food Pantry also can be mailed to the bank, given to bank cashiers or donate through the drive-through windows.