“The clothing closet and food pantry ministry has been around for about 20 years, and so it is engrained in the culture of Hope (UMC),” Preston Boyd explained. He co-chairs the current version of the Closet of Hope Food Pantry with his wife, Ale Jean Boyd, both retired, and Michael Boggs.
“When Jean and I stepped in, the church was still in pandemic mode and the ministry had been shut down for two years,” Preston continued. “So, when we took over, we rebuilt it with a core group of volunteers. We didn’t have very many clients at first, a whopping 14 households served in the first month. We started doing outreach into the city of Southfield – we made municipal staff aware that we were back in operation. Word of mouth spread, and we’ve grown to about 100 households per month. Part of the core volunteer team was still there, and then, as we continued to grow, new people volunteered and Mike stepped up to be co-chair with us.”
About 50% of the people who come in for food also need clothing, so they receive help with that too. The ministry received a Community Engagement grant from Global Ministries earlier in the year, which enhanced what they could offer to clients. It meant that some families who needed additional food in a month could receive that. It also allowed them to purchase and provide necessary hygiene items and winter clothing.
“That grant from Global Ministries allowed us to really delight and surprise some people with the extras,” Preston added. Community Engagement grants are made possible by the United Methodist Voluntary Services fund, derived from the UMC Human Relations Day Sunday offerings.
Your gifts on Human Relations Day Sunday, helps encourage ordinary people to have a voice in changing the world.
While the official signage and website says the closet is open one Saturday a month, its volunteer staff is ready and willing to work with clients whenever they need help. The closet is open for walk-ins two days a month and by special requests.
“Since our reopening, we have distributed something like 86,000 lbs. of food, which reached about 4,500 people, or 500 different households. That speaks to the effort the Boyds and the team have put into this,” Michael Boggs noted.
Jean Boyd mentioned that the pantry is small in comparison to others in the area, but it still meets certain standards. “We are considered to be a Gold Star Pantry for Gleaners – and that’s a big certification for a pantry of our size that is not a client-choice pantry. We are small enough that we can’t have families come in and pick their own food, but we do try to give them adequate canned food, meats, and when we can get it, fresh milk and produce.”
Going another step with their clients, they provide recipes for fresh produce because: “You never know what you are going to get from Gleaners, and sometimes they send produce that people have never eaten or don’t know how to cook.”
Both the Hope Church congregation and the community it serves are predominantly African American, but people of other races and immigrants of other nationalities have come for help at the pantry, and all are received.
Human Relations Day is an opportunity to stand with other United Methodist churches to build the beloved community envisioned by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This denomination-wide Special Sunday is designed to strengthen human relationships and community outreach. By participating in the Human Relations Day offering, United Methodists embrace the power of relationships, the strength of community and the good news that all of God’s children are of sacred value.
Gifts made on Human Relations Day, Jan. 19, 2024, support the Community Developers Program as well as community advocacy through the United Methodist Voluntary Services administered through Global Ministries.
excerpt from a story by Christie R. House, consultant writer and editor with Global Ministries and UMCOR. Originally published by Global Ministries. Republished with permission by ResourceUMC.
One of six churchwide Special Sundays with offerings of The United Methodist Church, Human Relations Day calls United Methodists to recognize the right of all God’s children in realizing their potential as human beings in relationship with one another. The special offering benefits neighborhood ministries through Community Developers, community advocacy through United Methodist Voluntary Services and work with at-risk teens through the Youth Offender Rehabilitation Program.
When you give generously on Human Relations Day Sunday, you encourage ordinary people to have a voice in changing the world. Give now.
