Food pantry rises from the ashes

KENSETT — A February fire may

have slowed down Bill and Treva Mills

of Kensett just a bit, but it didn’t stop

them from opening the Kensett Com

munity Outreach Inc. food pantry.

The couple playfully interacted as

they filled grocery bags with canned

goods and boxed meals Friday morn

ing, the opening day of the food pan

try at the Kensett United Method

ist Church youth building, 112 NW

Fourth St.

Bill said he had refurbished the

building at 212 SE First St. with plans

to open the food pantry there, but

the fire destroyed several buildings

downtown, including the food-pantry

building. Luckily, Mills said, no food

had been taken into the pantry yet,

but he said he had no insurance, so

the money the Mills had poured into

the building went up in smoke.

“The cleanup cost is more than the

property is worth,” he said.

Bill said there was not a food pan

try within walking distance for people

in Kensett, a town with a population

of less than 1,700.

He said he believes the central lo

cation of the pantry will benefit thosewho really need it.

Bill and Treva are both Methodist pastors, serving churches in Russell, Bald Knob, Bradford and Pleasant Plains.

In 2003, Treva helped get a food pantry started in Bald Knob to serve those who live in the Bald KnobSchool District.

“We serve between 75 and 175 each week,” she said. “It becomes more than a food pantry; it becomes a fellowship.”

She agreed with her husband about the need for a food pantry in Kensett. She said there is a variety of people who would benefit: people recovering from addiction, the homeless, the elderly and families who are down on their luck.

“People have been coming to our door for years,” she said. “There are programs out there for children, but there needs to be more for the elderly.”

She said sometimes elderly people have to choose between buying food and medications.

“I’ve seen it where their electricity and gas have been shut off because of their medical needs,” she said.

Treva said she believes the food pantry should offer a balanced meal, including meat, vegetables and fruit.

“If every church in everycommunity comes together and has a food bank, it would relieve a lot of worry from these people,” she said.

“It’s not about sitting in the pew on Sunday; it’s about what you are doing to help your fellow man.”

In hopes of taking smallsteps to expand Kensett Community Outreach, Treva said the future plans of the organization will include a clothes closet and a homeless shelter.

The food pantry will be open for food distribution from 10-11:30 a.m. each Friday. People needing food willneed to bring proof that they are residents of Kensett.

For more information or to donate items, call Bill at (501) 742-3904.

Staff writer Jeanni Brosius can be reached at (501) 244-4307 or jbrosius@arkansasonline.com.