Covenant Church uses Food For The Hungry grant to help feed 80+ families each month

PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Olivia Greenich Stern
Food For The Hungry Digital Content & Marketing Director
(330) 260-4059
contact@foodforthehungrycares.org
 
July 15, 2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
HEADLINE: Covenant Church uses Food For The Hungry grant to help feed 80+ families each month.
 
MOUNT VERNON, Ohio—It was a busy beehive of activity at Covenant Christian Church in Mount Vernon when Tanner Cooper-Risser and Austin Swallow from Food For The Hungry of Knox County arrived on a hot July Day.  Volunteers were unloading a truck, packing bags of products, and hustling in and out of the freezer as they prepared for the monthly distribution that Saturday. 
 
Pam Vanderpool, director of the program since 2016, sat down with her husband, Eric, and a co-worker, Teresa, to share her story and ministry. The first words she spoke were of gratitude to Food For The Hungry (FFTH) and for the grants provided over the years. “We try so hard to maximize your dollars,” she said. “Without those dollars, we simply could not do what we do and serve those we serve.” Covenant received a $2,500 2026 summer grant from FFTH and is a regular grant recipient. Covenant is one of the 12 FFTH grants awarded this summer, totaling $30,500. 
Vanderpool shared about her childhood years when her family “didn’t have much” and had to rely on food assistance programs. Through her firsthand experience, Vanderpool has an understanding of the unique needs of the clients coming to Covenant for assistance. One thing she makes sure every family gets in the monthly distribution is toilet paper. Federal programs like SNAP don’t cover essentials like toilet paper. “We all use that every day, don’t we?” Vanderpool expressed. It’s the extra kindness that gives people dignity - receiving items most people take for granted, but everyone needs. 
During the summer months, Covenant serves fewer clients than in other months, but makes sure to include more ‘child favorite’ items because they know children are eating more at home. The populations served by Covenant are like most pantries: those on fixed incomes that don’t stretch throughout the month and people who need a boost. “For whatever reason, they have hit a bump in the road and need that boost, that encouragement, that meal,” Vanderpool said. 
The pantry is open once a month and serves about 80-85 families each month with enough food for four people for about two weeks. Vanderpool shared that her volunteers are her church family. Many have volunteered for years, and they work as a well-oiled machine. They have a unique conveyor belt system in which the belt is set up around all the shelves and people are stationed to put certain products into a tote as it rolls along. Other volunteers assist the recipients by putting the supplies into their cars. 
Vanderpool’s final words stayed with Swallow and Cooper-Risser as they left that day… “God doesn’t make mistakes. Sometimes when I order (the food) I think I do, but He creates a blessing anyway.” One month, she ordered what she thought were boxes of macaroni and cheese, but the order came in as cases. Vanderpool gave families a whole case that month. The next month, a woman came in with tears in her eyes and told her that a case of macaroni was just what she needed. It had provided the sustenance she needed to survive; in fact, it was all the woman ate, because it was all she had. Vanderpool’s “mistake” turned into a life-sustaining blessing.
The food pantry is open the second Saturday of every month (excluding November) from 10 AM to Noon. Covenant is located at 13360 New Delaware Rd. Mount Vernon, Ohio 43050. Recipients must be Knox County residents, show proof of residency and a photo ID, and meet the financial eligibility requirements. More information and photos can be found at https://covenantcog.com/food-pantry.  
Food For The Hungry is proud to partner with Covenant Christian Church in providing food for those with food insecurity.
Thank you to every individual in Knox County who continuously believes in the vision of Food For The Hungry and the desire to better your community. The generosity displayed each year makes grants like these possible!
 
Visit www.FoodForTheHungryCares.org to learn more about FFTH and follow FFTH on Facebook (@FoodForTheHungryKnoxCounty) and Instagram (@FFTHCares) to stay current on all things FFTH. 
Food For The Hungry—Working Together To Care For Our Neighbors. 
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