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The Christian Service Center is hosting a community-wide food drive on Sept. 24 in an effort to stock the food pantry before the holiday season. 

The food drive will have a location in both Valley and LaFayette this year, with the Valley location being in the parking lot next to SouthState Bank and the Lafayette location being at LaFayette Heights Baptist Church.

Cheryl Myers, director of the Christian Service Center, explained how important this food drive was for the community.

“Every year, we have around a 100 families in need of food for Thanksgiving, and 100 more at Christmas time,” Myers said. “It takes time to get the pantry stocked and sorted, and we rely on the support of the community to make sure that we can take care of those who need our help. The number [of people in need] just keeps going up, and with the rising prices that have affected everyone this year, it is going to be important that we are prepared.” 

This year marks the 32nd year that the Christian Service Center has been in operation, and the sixth year that it has held a community food drive. 

Unlike many food pantries across the country, Myers noted the service center was able to remain open even through the COVID pandemic.

“We took every precaution that we could to make sure that we could stay open through the virus,” Myers said. “We had people remain in their cars and we set up a table so that they could drive by to pick up their food. We also started providing face masks and hand sanitizer for people who were in need and not a single one of our volunteers got COVID.”

Myers also noted the center does not just distribute food but anything else a family could need including clothes and Christmas gifts.

“We don’t limit ourselves to just food; we really want to try and provide as much we can to families who need it, whether it be clothes, gifts for kids, or anything else that we can help with,” Myers said.

For those interested in donating, the Christian Service Center is asking for canned and boxed goods that are nonperishable. 

If you are unable to attend the food drive but would still like to donate, the center will still accept goods during their normal business hours. 

Additionally, if there is anyone who may need assistance, contact the Christian Service Center at (334) 576-3552. 

Food distributions occur on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to noon.