"We feed not only your body, but your soul," said Deb Kuhn, who is active with the New Holland Church of the Nazarene's King's Closet ministry. Kuhn was referring to the outreach the church now holds on the first Saturday of each month, which provides food, clothing, and prayer to the community.

"People can get a food box if that is all they need," explained senior pastor Frank Short. "But we (also) have a team that will pray with them. We hand out Bibles if that's something they need, and we also provide breakfast."

Kuhn and Short are enthusiastic about the monthly ministry the church, located at 428 Ranck Road, New Holland, began in June. By partnering with Blessings of Hope, the church has been able to distribute boxes of food to the community on the first Saturday of each month from 9 a.m. to noon. All families in the ELANCO area are welcome to receive food in upcoming distributions. King's Closet, a free clothing ministry, started opening those same hours beginning Sept. 3.

"The boxes are put together at Blessings of Hope," explained Short. Blessings of Hope, a ministry that stores and redistributes food that would otherwise have been wasted, provides boxes of food to be handed out. "It's a mixture of perishable and nonperishable items," said Short, who noted that the items arrive in a refrigerated truck for food safety purposes. "There could be bacon, a gallon of milk, pudding mix, bread." Short pointed out that while not every box contains exactly the same items, a lot of the same components are present. The church has been giving away more than 200 of the 30- to 40-pound boxes each month since the ministry began. Recently, a prayer station, free baked goods, and breakfast, which in September included a breakfast wrap, have been added. All items are free, and no intake is necessary to receive food. "Our layout here is conducive to having an entry and exit (point)," said Short.

King's Closet occupies a house at 432 Ranck Road, right at the edge of the church parking lot. "We have clothing for the entire family," said Kuhn. "(Everything) from maternity to plus sizes for men, women, and children, and everything is free." As with the food distribution, no intake is necessary to receive clothing. The ministry also stocks shoes, personal care items, cleaning products, and diapers. If a client is in need of something the ministry does not have, representatives will take a name and number and call the client when the item is available. Donations are accepted during the hours the ministry is open on Saturdays.

Readers who would like more information may visit http://www.nhcnazarene.org, search for "New Holland Church of the Nazarene" on Facebook, email info@nhcnazarene.org, or call 717-355-7800.