South District Baptists are meeting hunger needs by encouraging its churches in a friendly competition. The association’s food drive brought in 70,000 food items this year to replenish the shelves of area food banks.

Spurred by the sheer need represented in hunger statistics across Kentucky, specifically in South District’s area, that indicate 24 percent of families are “food insecure,” the association began challenging churches to give to food banks.

Various churches have challenged each other to give more while others held competition within their own church walls. Different age groups have competed against each other to collect food, and youth made up cheers.

The theme song for the project was “Lift Up Your Eyes” by King and Country, and the theme verse was Heb. 13:16.

Although the association has been coordinating its Souper Bowl Food Drive for six years now, this year “definitely became much more than all the others,” SDBA director of missions Jim Clontz reported.

In 2016, 16 churches participated and doubled their goals from the previous years. Local business even got involved, as did the community.

“It was a really great experiencing how the community came together by giving money or food to support our local and state food banks,” teenager Sarah Groover expressed.

One church who had only met four times collected 1,400 items, and a church with only 39 members collected 4,159 items. A larger church collected 32,660 items.

The churches delivered their food items to First Baptist Church Bypass in Danville. From there the donations went to area food banks. Clontz estimates that in some cases, the food donated will last for months.

Since this is an ongoing project, the association urges other churches to join in on their “food game” by contacting South District at (859) 238-7624. (WR)