MUSKOGEE, Okla. — Dozens of Muskogee churches have come together to help people who don’t have enough to eat.
2 News visited with the Christian Ministers Union to see how they’re feeding hundreds of families nightly.
The little blue church at 1115 N 24th St has become a beacon of hope for Muskogee. The sign in the parking lot showcases their mission: Free Dinner Nightly from 6-7pm.
“Muskogee’s just the type of town where if there’s a need we come together,” said Aundrea Jones.
Aundrea Jones is the Senior Pastor at Old Agency Baptist Church and the President of the Christian Ministers Union.
The feeding effort has been taking place inside the church every Monday-Saturday night since SNAP benefits were first paused earlier this month.
“The main focus is to feed them,” said Pastor Jones. “People need to know you love them. You can’t preach to them if my stomach is growling. Feed me. Don’t tell me how long you love me, and my stomach is growling. Feed me. So, that’s what we believe.”
The Christian Ministers Union has 44 churches and 66 ministers who don’t have churches. They’re all different denominations from all over the city and surrounding area.
“That’s what makes it such a great effort,” said Pastor Jones. “It’s not just one denomination. It’s all of God’s people working together.”
Each night, seven churches in the union come together. They’re responsible for all of the food to make sure people in the community don’t go hungry.
Across Oklahoma, more than 684,000 people rely on SNAP. On average, the Muskogee groups are seeing more than 300 families each night.
As partial SNAP benefits turned on this week, and the government shutdown appears to be nearing its end, Pastor Jones says their work still isn’t done.
“If they’ve been without it for so long their first priority they have to build back up little stuff like salt, pepper, ketchup and that’s going to take away from their stamps to buy food so it’s going to take them a while to balance out,” said Pastor Jones. “We’re here for the long haul. As long as there’s a need we’re going to be here."
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