Hope Ministries helps feed families with financial insecurities

HENDERSON COUNTY, Tenn. — With schools closed and many people out of a job as a result of COVID 19 precautions, more people are in need of emergency food assistance.

Hope Ministries in Lexington is doing its part to make sure Henderson County residents have enough to eat.

“We discussed this from the very beginning. As long as the federal government backed us on it, then we would stay open to give out food to those in need,” said Chris Dangler.

Dangler is the food supervisor for Hope Ministries. He says their minimum goal is to give enough food so that everyone in a household can have three meals a day for at least three days.

“People that come in and last week they were working and they got laid off, we help them, and we are going to help them every other week as long as this crisis is on,” Dangler said.

Dangler says the organization normally requires proof of a Henderson County residence and income in exchange for food, but due to the pandemic they are being more lenient.

“During this crisis I am very lax. If they come and say they have a need, I’m giving it to them,” Dangler said.

All the food at Hope Ministries comes from donations from the public and a Nashville based group called Second Harvest, who donates USDA goods.

“Right now my food pantry is getting fairly bare,” Dangler said. “On Thursday I will have close to 4,000 pounds of food come in from Second Harvest.”

If you want to donate to Hope Ministries, they accept both perishable and non-perishable goods.

Hope Ministries is completely volunteer based. They are open Mondays through Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.