First Baptist Church Gives Away 750 Free Meals in Dunlap

Volunteers giving away meals in front of Dunlap First Baptist Church.

DUNLAP, Tenn. (WDEF)- Many have spent Thanksgiving cooking and enjoying fantastic meals.

However for many, it can be difficult for them to get something to eat on this holiday.

That’s why one church in Dunlap has made it a priority to tackle that issue.

The Dunlap First Baptist Church came together Thanksgiving morning for their 13th annual Thanksgiving Ministry.

The ministry, which started in 2011, aims to give away hundreds of free meals to those in need in Dunlap and the surrounding areas of Sequatchie County.

This year, the church served 750 meals, both to those who drove to the church to receive their meals, and those who received them from deliveries by members of the church.

Even the local jail, nursing homes, and other essential workers received meals from the church.

Linda Kelly, the lead organizer for the Thanksgiving Ministry at Dunlap First Baptist Church, said, “It’s hard to say how big of a blessing it really is to us. When we hear good feedback and we have people call in and say, “I have no one else you know, on Thanksgiving”, that’s what it’s all about.”

Dunlap First Baptist Church Senior Pastor Josh Coffman, said, “This is one of our favorite ministries that we get to do. This involves everyone in our church. Young, not young, it doesn’t matter.”

Many of the church members showed great pride in the church’s youth taking part, learning about serving others in the process.

Kelly said, “The youth alway enjoy helping. We usually do youth and up, unless they want to do deliveries into homes with their families then the children can get involved with that. But they love it, yes, it’s a memory they talk about all year long.”

Many of the residents of Dunlap are grateful for the meal giveaway here at First Baptist Church, as the line for the free meals stretched around multiple corners.

Pastor Coffman said, “We love to be able to feed that many, and if there is that many that are hungry, we’re happy to feed them. 750 is a lot.”

Beyond the food, the church sees this ministry as an opportunity to share their faith and fellowship with their community.

Kelly said, “Well I do love helping others, and we saw a great need for it, and once we tried it once it was very fulfilling, it was a blessing to us.”

Pastor Coffman said, “We’ve had dozens of volunteers that have given up their time this morning, away from their families, away from their cooking, away from their meals, or the prep that goes into it, to be able to serve people. I think that says a lot about our church and the heart of our people here.”