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Church Nourishes The Spirit, Body

Tribune photo by FRED BELLET

On Monday, about 20 people found their way to the food pantry and free lunch at Atonement Lutheran Church on the north side of State Road 54, near the Saddlebrook community.

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By GEOFF FOX

gfox@tampatrib.com

Published: December 18, 2008

WESLEY CHAPEL - The ham and turkey sandwiches were prepared.

The chicken noodle soup was ready.

The food bags, filled with cereal, crackers, Quaker oats and all manner of canned goods, were available.

On Monday, about 20 people found their way to the food pantry and free lunch at Atonement Lutheran Church on the north side of State Road 54, near the Saddlebrook community.

On Wednesday, only a handful came by.

Church leaders and volunteers hope to serve many more between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Friday, the last scheduled day of the program.

"The big thing is just to get the word out," said Carla Haberland, a church member who, with husband Carl, approached Pastor Scott Lindner with the food pantry idea a couple of years ago.

"After the first of the year, we want to be able to keep the pantry open as needed," Haberland said. "Things are hard right now, and we want to share our blessings."

Church members Yvette and Fitzroy Williams matched the Haberlands' monetary donation, while other church members baked cookies and helped prepare a building behind the church for the food ministry.

About noon Wednesday, a middle-aged couple entered the building.

"Thank you so much for this," the woman said to Haberland.

The couple didn't want their names publicized.

Yvette Williams said the food is available for "anybody who needs help."

"A lady busted out crying the other day, because she felt humiliated" that she needed a handout, she said. "But our Lord and savior will take care of us, not in our time, but in his time."

Lindner said the church passed out food baskets last year, but hard economic times inspired the church to also offer free lunches this year.

Food and other items were donated to the church by Denny's restaurants, M&M Farms, North Tampa Quality Meats, SuperTarget, McDonald's, CVS drug store, Winn-Dixie, Sweetbay Supermarket, Sav-A-Lot, Shannon's Produce and attorney Jack Reiber.

"We could see things were getting terrible, and it was happening to our parishioners," Lindner said. "We wanted to do more than just a one-day thing, and the idea just took off. We had no idea we'd have this many volunteers, though. And every organization we called helped us in some way."

THEY'RE GIVING AWAY FOOD

For information about the free lunch and food pantry at Atonement Lutheran Church in Wesley Chapel, call the church at (813) 973-2211 or Carla Haberland at (813) 310-8885.

Keyword: Food Pantry to view more photos. Reporter Geoff Fox can be reached at (813) 779-4613.

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