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Heavenly Groceries

"Reverend Harrison was seeing that they were throwing away the day-old food at the Food Lions and then it became, 'How is this happening? So much food is being wasted. Why are we not surplussing this food and giving it to the need for the community?' And that is how Heavenly Groceries started at St. Joseph CME Church."

- Gladys Pendergraph

Heavenly Groceries is a certified food bank and ministry of St. Joseph CME Church. The food ministry at St. Joseph C.M.E. began in 2004 as part of Rev. Troy F. Harrison’s vision of a “church without walls.” Initially a bread ministry stocked with loaves and coffeecakes donated by an Entemann’s Bakery Outlet, the ministry has grown to a grocery-style, no-documentation-needed, fresh food distribution center serving people from four counties every day. “Heavenly Groceries/Comida Celestial” is led by a team of volunteers from St. Joseph, with support from student and community partners and is generally recognized as a unique campaign to address rising food scarcity in an otherwise wealthy region.

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Citation: “Heavenly Groceries,” From the Rock Wall, accessed December 3, 2024, https://fromtherockwall.org/places/heavenly-groceries.

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