The mindset of abundance: California churches feed communities during COVID-19. September 8, 2020

The information below connects you to the article from the Presbyterian Outlook article.

• Over the last several months, as COVID-19 has turned so much upside down, the Presbytery of the Pacific has experienced in Los Angeles what a lot of other communities have seen: more hungry people needing help. In July alone, the churches in the presbytery provided food to more than 49,000 food-insecure people.
• Immanuel Presbyterian Church, a grand church on Wilshire Avenue in Koreatown, took out the pews from its Westminster Chapel in early July — removing the seating from its smaller worship space, and more importantly, the part of the church that’s air conditioned – and using the reconfigured space to store pallets of food. Immanuel’s food pantry has been serving about 2,000 households a week during the summer – up from about 120 households a week before COVID-19 hit – and shifted its hours from being open one day a week to six.
• Since early August, Westminster Presbyterian, an African American congregation that has been worshipping virtually since the pandemic began, has been handing out food baskets — with Immanuel providing the food and Westminster the volunteers. After so much time apart, this new initiative has given Westminster volunteers a chance to see one another in person at a social distance, Beaboa said.