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Chocowinity residents who are having a difficult time feeding their families will now have a local source for the nutritious options that have been offered by Eagles Wings Food Pantry for more than 30 years.

The outreach’s newest satellite location, located at First Baptist Church on N.C.  Highway 33, opened last month to an enthusiastic group of residents.

Organizers called that debut a success, crediting pastor Greg Hombirg and his congregation with getting the word out so that local residents could benefit from the outreach.

“This took off because we had individual residents helping promote us and working with us. It’s a testimony not so much to Eagles Wings but to the church community here, and the atmosphere they created to welcome people to an unknown service. It’s not easy for people to ask for help, especially the first time,” said Kathleen Couch, client relations coordinator for the food pantry.

A small group of volunteers, most of them members of First Baptist, loaded up several long tables in the church’s fellowship hall with boxes filled to the brim. Recipients went home with canned goods, dry goods, cereal, rice, milk, juice, fresh produce, eggs, meat and cheese, as well as a brief devotional from Hombirg, who opened that day’s activities with a prayer and a lesson about turning hard times into “an opportunity to grow.”

The food pantry’s main building and warehouse are located on Third Street in Washington. Besides the new Chocowinity site – which is open the fourth Thursday of every month, there are two others. The Aurora location is at New Growth Unlimited Ministries, open on the third Thursday of every month, and a Spanish-friendly location is at Alpha and Omega Church in Chocowinity, open on the First Thursday of the month – to help residents who cannot easily reach Eagles Wings’ main building.

A photo ID or piece of mail showing Beaufort County residency is required for all clients. Food stamp and Medicaid recipients must bring those qualifying cards as well. More details – including hours of operation – are available at Eagles Wings in Washington by calling 252-975-1138 at the Washington location.