Father's Table expands reach, food offerings

GraceBridge Church of Christ will expand its food program, The Father's Table, to the community Wednesday, July 14, opening up the church as a grocery store of sorts to offer free meals amounting to a week's worth of food for a family of four.

The new program will continue weekly or semi-weekly, and clients are invited to stay for Wednesday night church classes.

"There's a huge need, especially in this economy," said GraceBridge member David Hood, who directs Father's Table with founders Wes and Kelia Williams. "People who are used to being able to provide for their families are no longer able to do that."

photo GraceBridge Church of Christ has members Gail Davenport, Elizabeth Bell and Linda Owens, from left, to thank for organizing and executing the church's food distribution program, The Father's Table.

GraceBridge has been delivering food boxes weekly to eight to 10 local families - all canned or boxed food donated by church members.

Pending partnerships with the Chattanooga Area Food Bank and surrounding grocery stores will allow the church to reach more qualifying families by inviting them to come to the church, and to add dairy, meat and produce.

"Regardless of what happens with the Food Bank, our members will come through," Hood said. "I would love it if we could have 50 families. Somebody may be running to the store to pick stuff up, but that's what we'll do."

Hood said the church's location - across the street from a CARTA bus stop and next door to America's Thrift Store - is ideal.

"We don't want to be enclosed in these four walls," Hood said. "My heart is to reach out to people directly around us. We want to help the entire community, but more importantly we want to help the people right around us."

The Father's Table project stemmed from a Young America program aimed at caring for neglected children and teenagers from low-income families.

Hood said his model is Rossville Church of Christ, a church that provides a week's worth of food for 80 to 200 families every week, with some families camping out in line overnight.

"We want to reach out and be the hands and feet of Jesus," Hood said. "If they don't have to worry about how they're going to eat, they can worry about bigger things."

Hood said he envisions the food store branching out into efficient and healthy cooking classes, family finance classes and life skills classes.

"Unfortunately in our society, a lot of those skills are not taught," he said. "Even in schools they're not taught. I think there's a wealth of knowledge here that our members really want to give people."

GraceBridge was founded "in a spirit of outreach" two years ago, first meeting in people's homes and then at Heritage House on Jenkins Road. It moved to its current location two years ago in September.

"This is where we come on Sundays but the real church we do is seven days a week out in the community," said youth and college student intern Trevor McInturff.

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