NEOSHO – Monark Baptist Church keeps busy with a food ministry, distributed in several manners.
“We have one of the largest food ministries in Southwest Missouri. We have a 365-day food ministry,” said Pastor Melvin Stapp.
The church averages 40 people on Sundays and about half of the parishoners are involved in the ministries.
“We get a call for help almost every week,” pastor Stapp said.
Monark has a food distribution the first and third Tuesday each month, which is like a typical food pantry. They expect to serve 350 to 400 families, but in late November, they served 640 families. Their food distributions are not income based, but name, address and number in the household is taken.
A sample distribution may include laundry detergent, bread, crackers, some meat, canned goods and dry milk. “It’s enough to last a family a week,” he said.
They also do a family services food supply for three counties to give food to families so people can pass the family service inspection.
The first Tuesday also includes a diaper distribution with a partnership with a diaper bank.
Then, there are periodic short-notice distributions, where volunteers contact 10 families in the network, who contact another 10 families. They held two recent “right-off-the-line, never frozen” chicken leg distributions where the products were gone in under 90 minutes. The families are set up in zones and sections.
“In the last six months, there has been a big increase in kids moving back with their parents and bringing their kids. It can be a challenge for them to get food.”
Monark has various partnerships and has available rental warehouse space used irregularly as product availability develops. Sometimes this leads to trading with other food ministry partners. In some cases, a company may sell a truckload of products at cost and then donate a few other truckloads.
The church began food ministry in 2008, with a for-profit agency, then separated and began a donations-only ministry.
Several years ago, there was an adverse situation that tarnished the church’s community reputation. The food ministry was started and God has blessed the church and re-established the good name of the church.
During the COVID-19 crisis, they partnered with Farmers to Families and had 300 truckloads of food that was distributed in seven counties.
“We are now called on by other churches to feed people. Very few churches are set up to receive a truckload of products or have that impact on a community. We use this model: as long as you are helping people, finding a need and meeting it, the finances will be there.
“In the past, we did personal care items. I hope to be able to get back into that. God always provides,” Stapp said.