By: Chelsea Watts

Have you ever wondered where the introverts work at Holy Cross? Where do those who hate the spotlight work? Where are all those who would rather work behind the scenes? Well, I can tell you, they run the Holy Cross Bread of Life Food Pantry. During this crazy life we now live, God has moved this group of introverts front and center.

He is using this quiet group of faithful workers to show His love through their service to our community.

It is pretty quiet at Holy Cross on Saturday mornings now. The room that was once full of needy patrons is now filled with grocery bags filled with 7 pounds of essential food items. If someone would have told us this crisis was coming, we would have said our food pantry wasn’t ready for a crisis this large. We’d have said our little food pantry wasn’t ready to be one of the few left open to serve our city. We would’ve told you our little food pantry didn’t have the man power to sustain a crisis this extensive. But that is exactly why the Lord chose our Bread of Life Food Pantry to be the light of Holy Cross. Because just as it reads in Luke 8:16, “No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light.” Holy Cross, the building, may be silent and dark, but the Bread of Life Food Pantry is a light to our community.

We pack grocery bags with 6-7 pounds of food to make a few family meals. We sit outside, or right inside the East Doors, waiting for those who need us. We offer them a bag of food, bread if they want, dairy and eggs if we have it, and their choice of meat. Something that most of us take for granted brings tears to those who cannot pay.

A mother drives up to ask if we’re open, and while she tries to hide her tears, we fill bags of bread and meat.

One volunteer notices her van full of kids and goes to find some cookies. Then someone else walks her to her van and quietly prays with her. She leaves our parking lot, able to feed her family, but now she knows God’s grace and love too.

Businesses being forced to close continue to gather donated food, toilet paper, and money until the moment they close their doors, maybe for the last time. They bring us their donations knowing we can give them to those in need, even if they just lost their livelihood. A Food Pantry volunteer will write a prayer of peace inside a Thank You note, reminding them of God’s love.

Holy Cross church members, both new and seasoned, have... 

• Shown up willing to be on the front line
• Greeting those in need
• Reminding people to have a Blessed Day
• Happy Easter, or just an encouraging word for the week ahead

Holy Cross, the building, may be silent right now, but God is using that silence for good. The Bread of Life Food Pantry is the beacon of light from Holy Cross to all those in need.

"We feed the earthly body while planting that mustard seed of faith in God’s love."

Please remember the introverts, the quiet folks among us, in your prayers as they continue to operate our Bread of Life Food Pantry because God often uses the small and the quiet to make the biggest spark.