The Church of God in Cape opens 24-hour food pantry

The 20-member congregation at The Church of God in Cape Girardeau has created its first 24-hour community outreach program with the addition of a self-serve "take what you need, leave what you can" food pantry.

The church's main food pantry in the basement of 209 E. Cape Rock Drive has hit capacity, according to church staff. The next step was to open God's Little Pantry.

"It's very small, but folks in our church bring groceries," The Church of God pastor David McNeely said. "We don't belong to the (Southeast) Missouri Food Bank; this is all done through us right here."

Pastor Robert Nicholson stocks the new God's Little Pantry on Tuesday at Church of God in Cape Girardeau.Kassi Jackson ~ Southeast Missourian

He said what inspired the project's launch was a similar food pantry located in Scott City where he and his wife had donated groceries in the past.

"So I talked with pastor [Robert] Nicholson here about it, and we just decided to do it," McNeely said with a smile.

In August of last year, fellow Church of God pastor Robert Nicholson said God put the need for a 24-hour food pantry on his and McNeely's hearts.

And even though the self-serve pantry's first official opening day is Thursday, he said people are already utilizing it.

Nicholson said he "felt like this community needs it."

Along with canned and boxed goods, the church also keeps the 24-hour pantry stocked with Bibles, McNeely said. And since Saturday, McNeely said he had to purchase more Bibles to restock because "they went pretty quick."

Hopefully, he said, the pantry has to be restocked often, adding this isn't the church's first community outreach.

"A few years ago, we were making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and distributing to the homeless," McNeely said. "We gave coats away to the homeless, but this is the first time we've done anything like this."

He said Ellis Bradshaw with Canedy Sign & Graphics built the 3-foot-by-3-foot box. Construction took about two weeks, McNeely said, but "man, he hit a home run with that."

McNeely said before he could give Bradshaw the dimensions for the pantry and before he could ask how much it was going to cost, Bradshaw said it would be a donation to the church.

"I used to work for KMHM in Marble Hill, and I met him through them," McNeely said. "He was a guest on one of our radio shows."

Next to the 24-hour pantry sits a shed full of clothes, for all seasons, and heaters for "anybody that needs it," Nicholson said.

"People have pride about themselves, and sometimes they want to come get something without everybody knowing it," he said. "Anybody can get in trouble where they might need a little help sometimes, no matter who you are."

Church leaders have plans to use the church as a warming station during the winter months, and eventually make it available as a cooling station during summer months.

McNeely said the location also will be made available to Ameren workers during severe storms, offering soup and coffee.

"Just with this handful of people, we're getting things done," he said.

jhartwig@semissourian.com

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