We know the pandemic has had lasting effects on our neighbors. In North Carolina alone, more than 1.5 million people have applied for help after losing a job. Food banks have seen a huge increase in people needing their assistance. We've seen community organizations stepping up to fill the need.
That includes Definition Church (formally Daystar Church) and One Step Further, Inc. Together they're hosting a food giveaway Friday, June 18th.
Susan Cox is the program director at One Step Further. They're a nonprofit with a plethora of programs. One of them - the Community Support and Nutrition Program - helps with food insecurity.
"Over the past year, especially with COVID, we saw about a 60% increase in the number of people who were seeking assistance," Cox said. "That number has done gone down some with some of the benefits that have been provided but as those fall off we know that that need will rise again and so we are constantly adapting to the different needs."
The organization is teaming up with Definition Church to make this giveaway possible. They plan to host them every Friday during the summer and will work to complete a community center on the church's campus to serve even more community needs.
Last year Definition Church helped provide 125,000 meals at the height of the pandemic. Pastor TJ Foster III says they want to be a church of the city - and community partnerships make that possible.
"The question we're always asking ourselves is, 'What are we gonna do about it?' and what would Jesus do?' Foster said. "As a church we want to make sure that we're helping people be with Jesus, become like Jesus, and do what he did and this is a tangible way to meet a need a need in our community."
The food giveaway starts at 11a.m. but Pastor TJ says people usually start lining up as early as 9:30. They'll give away pre-packaged boxes until they run out, usually around noon.
Definition Church is located at 1806 Merritt Drive in Greensboro. You can get involved with the service projects they're doing by visiting their website.