Washington Assoc. food ministry reaches 320 families

In the eight years that Washington Baptist Association (WBA) has operated a food distribution ministry in Washington County, it has grown from helping 30 families a month to helping 320 families a month, seeking to “make relationships” with those they help, said WBA Director of Missions Michael Olewski. 

Olewski and Mildred Butler, WBA ministry assistant, lead a group of about seven volunteers to distribute food every Tuesday and Thursday morning. The ministry recently moved into its new space, an addition built onto the existing WBA office. 

While the majority of the food distributed is provided monthly by the Bay Area Food Bank in Theodore, churches and individuals also contribute. 

Connie Bryan, a member of Chatom Baptist Church who has been volunteering for “quite a few years,” said she and her husband, Walter, volunteer because “we get the joy of knowing that we’re helping someone.”