It isn’t the biggest food pantry, but it has a big heart.

Gwen Dyess has been chairing the Union Hall Baptist Church fundraiser since 2007, and she largely runs it herself. There are no set days for the pantry to run — those in need just make a phone call and Dyess will set up a time to meet them there.

And Dyess said it was a great feeling to be able to help people.

“When you have a little kid grab onto your leg and say, ‘thank you, thank you, thank you’, it really does something to you,” she said.

The food pantry gets about 10 calls a month, mostly from people on fixed income.

The people who call don’t need to be members of the church or even Lincoln County residents, but those new to the pantry should be able to show a photo ID and income information. The Union Hall Baptist Church can be reached at 601-833-5784, and those in need should call and leave a message.

“It’s a blessing in so many ways,” Dyess said. “Our church gets a blessing out of it, and I certainly get a blessing out of it, just helping people”

The 13th annual Holiday Food Pantry Drive is a joint effort between Bank of Brookhaven and The Daily Leader.

The money raised will be divided between five area churches and organizations who work to feed the hungry in Lincoln County — St. Francis of Assisi/St. Vincent de Paul, Union Hall Baptist Church, St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church, the Greater Hope Foundation and Bethel AME. 

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 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. Donations to the Holiday Food Pantry will be published in The Daily Leader as they come in.

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

Contributors:

Carolyn J. Brown — $50

Nena Smith’s School of Dance — $200

Karen Sullivan — $100

Anonymous — $150

Anonymous — $200