Feeding the Multitudes

By Crystal Davis

Think about being the only person in your church who has a burning desire to help those who are less fortunate with food and clothing, but no one knows what to do with you, and no one is tuned into your ideas. Yet, you don't give up until you find out that there are no books to read or people who know anything about the subject of opening a food pantry. Then you decide that it is time to go outside of the church to get help. But where do you start and who understands? You take trips to other pantries and comingle with those who have a like vision, but still, that isn't enough. What is lacking is the knowledge of all of those particulars needed to begin opening a not-for-profit charity. So you decide to go to the library, and still, no books on the subject. Looking through the World Wide Web, you find a few books that are for lawyers by lawyers on how to incorporate a charity but still nothing on how to open a food pantry. This is why Feeding the Multitudes was written""to provide knowledge on how to incorporate a not for profit charity and give future pantry directors the encouragement they need to get their own food pantry opened. Feeding the Multitudes will be the catalyst that will cause people nationwide to open their own food pantry ministry. Families are financially depressed in thousands of communities throughout America where there is a dire need for a food pantry. Within the pages of this book is the knowledge of all the details, (fundraising, advertising, building and office needs), for your endeavor along the way to opening your own food pantry. Feeding the Multitudes will become a keepsake in the library of many churches or a reference book for everyone to enjoy. When you reach out to those who are less fortunate, God's hand then reaches out with yours.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Aug 27, 2019
• ISBN: 9781645158820

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Feeding the Multitudes

Crystal M. Davis

Copyright © 2019 by Crystal M. Davis

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Feeding the Multitudes

The Helps Ministry

Their Spiritual Hunger

The Unity of the Workers

How to Incorporate as a Not-for-Profit Corporation

Organizational Development

Clothing Distribution

Finding the Food for Distribution at a Food Pantry

The Food Pantry Kitchen

Important Food Handling Tips

The Volunteer Staffing

Financial Management

Fund-Raising: the Art of Asking

So the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then? He answered and said to them, He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.

—Luke 3:10–11

Introduction

This book was written for those who have a deep inner calling to reach out and help those who are less fortunate. I was not afforded the privilege of having a book to assist me when God called me to work as an advocate for the poor. There was nothing to glean from, but through trial, error, and the leading of the Holy Spirit, the work was accomplished. I hope that what I have learned through the years can make life a little easier for someone else. This book can be used as a guide to help you see your vision clearer and to inspire you to press forward. Whatever the reason you have for reading this book, I hope that you find a deeper faith in God and his power to provide your every need for the work that he has called you to do.

This book was written to provide the knowledge needed to help people press forward with what God has called them to do. Building a ministry from the ground up took me years of self-teaching. I have tried to lay out in this book what I learned and what works well in the food ministry. The average lay person who wants to step out and open a food pantry in their community can learn a lot within these pages.

After I gave my life to the Lord Jesus Christ, I had several scriptures fly out at me from my Bible. The following scriptures show you the spiritual journey I took that led me to fulfilling the job that God gave me to accomplish.

Is this not the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor who are cast out to thy house? When thou seest the naked, that thou cover him, And that thou hide not yourself from your own flesh? (Isaiah 58:6–7)

I did not want to be guilty of seeing people who were in need and not sharing what I could with them. I first started sharing what I had in my refrigerator with whomever the Lord would bring by the house for whatever reason. In 1986 and 1987, I managed an apartment complex. It was required of me to interview hundreds of families which were below the poverty level and living in their cars. They were desperately trying to get an apartment for their families but would not qualify for a unit due to their low income. I had such compassion for them that I took them around in my own car to different help agencies. This action made me very aware of what was available to hurting families in our community and what help was not available.

During that time, while I was reading my Bible, there stood out other scriptures like this one:

For I was hungry and you gave me no food; I was thirsty and you gave me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take me in, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me. (Matthew 25:42–43)

Scriptures like this made me fully aware of the fact that we receive everlasting condemnation for the things we do not do while living for Christ. I really wanted to be the very best example of Jesus that was possible. I didn’t want to go to church for years only to find myself condemned for the things that I did not do. I then started giving with a heart of compassion to anyone who had a need whenever it was within my power. While I started to bless others, another scripture popped up out of the pages of my Bible:

He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, and that which he has given will he pay him again. (Proverbs 19:17)

Something supernatural began to happen when I started to give to those who were less fortunate. I