It’s not every day that one of your elected representatives drops by for a visit. That’s why we were honored to show North Carolina State Representative Steve Ross around the Feed the Hunger headquarters a couple of weeks ago. Our offices and warehouse facilities are located on Harden Street in Graham, NC, which sits at the edge of Rep. Ross’s district – NC District 63. During the tour, we showed Rep. Ross where we store, sort, and ship food packed at Packathon events all over the country.
We had several reasons for wanting Rep. Ross to stop by and see what goes on at Feed the Hunger. As an elected official, it’s important to know what businesses, non-profits, and other groups are operating in your district, with the goal of better representing your constituents. We also wanted Rep. Ross to know that, in the event of an emergency in Alamance County, Feed the Hunger will be an official partner with local government in helping with relief efforts. Finally, we wanted to show Rep. Ross where we pack the portion of FtH food that remains in Alamance County, to be distributed to those in need here at home.
But more than the “official” reasons for his visit, we wanted to show Rep. Ross, who with his family has been an enthusiastic participant in Packathon events, the “last stop” for FtH food before it makes the trip to our national and overseas partners. Nearly all the meals packed at Packathons pass through our warehouse prior to shipment, and over the past few months, we’ve made several improvements to our warehouse, including a new roof, skylights, and fluorescent lighting, as well as streamlining our food sorting process.
While we have always made sure food designated for shipment to specific countries and/or partners remains properly sorted, we recently painted “bays” on the floor of the warehouse – the same shape and size as the shipping containers we plan to fill (white outlines, pictured below). That way, as food packed by FtH volunteers makes its way to the warehouse, we can get a quick visual on how close we are to sending out the next truckload. Improving warehouse flow, in combination with our new mobile forklift ramp, will allow us to be even more efficient in getting bulk ingredients and packaged meals to children and families who are greatly in need.
In Romans 13:1-7, Paul exhorts Christians to be respectful of those in government because all those who govern are ultimately subject to God and His will. As difficult as this may be, especially in the era of political division we are experiencing in this country, we should be mindful of our leaders and pray that they receive wisdom from God to know how best to govern.
We thank Rep. Ross for taking time to visit our headquarters and look forward to seeing his family and all our faithful volunteers during the fall Packathon season!
Matthew Byrd | Ministry Advancement Team