Thanks to one church’s mission this summer, many local children could count on getting a good meal nearby.

Since June, Asbury United Methodist Church has been giving out lunches to children at two locations: in the Thomas Road trailer park community, just off Old Bath Highway, and at the River Road Estates community on River Road, according to Jim Reed, pastor of Asbury UMC. On average, volunteers served meals five days per week, Mondays through Fridays, to approximately 75 kids all summer.

The church has helped support the USDA Summer Feeding Program for the past two summers, but when it became apparent that a site out in the community, as opposed to those located at local schools, would not reopen this year, Reed and Asbury UMC felt compelled to respond. The church decided to take it upon itself to open the two sites.

Reed’s mindset was to set up sites directly in communities in which children could access the food within walking distance, he said.

“My idea, based on Jesus’ words was, ‘Go ye into the world,’ and take food to the kids,” Reed said. “The two issues in this county is we’re rural, so transportation becomes an issue. We either have to transport the kids to the food or the food to the kids.”

USDA Care-O-World Early Learning Center provides the food that is transported to area schools, where Reed will pick it up and take it to the church’s feeding sites. Other open feeding sites include Eastern Elementary School and Beaufort County Ed Tech Center.

Reed found volunteer staff to help serve children at both sites through partnerships forged with other churches such as Covenant Church in Washington and several Hispanic churches, he said. The church also partnered with Eagle’s Wings, which provided 22 cases of “backpack buddy” meals leftover from last school year. The backpacks were distributed to children, as were vegetables and flowers from the church’s garden ministry, Ruby’s Garden. Brownie Bakery in Washington also donated five-dozen donuts each week for the last four weeks of the program, according to Reed.

In addition to lunch, the church brings games and toys for the children who come to eat, Reed said.

Reed said the church’s involvement is all about reaching out into the community and spreading the love of God outside of the church’s four walls.

“We’re building community,” Reed said. “Even with the language barrier, we’ve built some trust and friendship in these communities. I think they’ve seen the love of Christ through us. It’s to be a witness and to love our neighbors. That’s fulfilling the law Jesus talked about — love your neighbor as yourself. This is just getting out in the greater community God has and doing our part. Probably the biggest dividend is meeting our neighbors; if you have a target group of kids on your radar and you want to reach out and love them in Jesus’ name, this is one of the best ways to establish community with them — to establish a feeding site and establish the relationships that come with it.”

At the sites, the church pitched tents and provided tables and chairs for children to eat, which Reed relates to incarnational ministry, he said.

“When ‘Jesus became flesh and dwelt among us,’ the message translation is he pitched his tent in our midst,” Reed said. “It’s symbolic of God’s presence in their midst. These tents are symbolic of Christ’s presence in our communities, and we act on what Jesus has told us to be. We want to see God at work. We want to be instruments of God’s work. This (ministry) is part of our dream. I feel like we’ve established something that can be a workable model. It’s sustainable, and it’s been a lot of fun.”

The nine-week program runs through next week. Reed said he plans to create four more feeding sites next summer and invites other area churches and organizations to get involved.

Asbury United Methodist Church is located at 88 Asbury Church Road in Washington. For more information or to get involved in a feeding site, call the church at 252-946-2224.