Local Church Gives Groceries To People In Need, Hands Out Hundreds Of Meals

Northstar Church in Pryor is doing something good to help a lot of people in their small town.

They opened a new facility this week that lets them give groceries to people in need.

The assembly line is a well-oiled machine.

"We have worked together for a while," volunteer Tara Hargrove said.

Two days a week, volunteers like Tara fill bags with groceries for those who need them in their community.

"I usually do the bread first, and then we go over and get a box of dried goods, we give meats, there's fruits, there's desserts, vegetables,” she said. “They get a lot of stuff, and it's a good variety of things."

She got involved through Northstar Church in Pryor two years ago, and now, every Thursday, she and her husband stuff bags.

"You see all kinds out there, and there's days that I will go out and take names from the people so I get to interact with them more,” said Tara. “We have seen people having the worst days of their lives, and then we have seen people come back and thank us because they did have a job, and then they may have gotten laid off or something. It just makes you feel good that we can help them that week."

Marge Halverson is in charge of the produce and is in her ninth year of volunteering. She says they've expanded the amount of people they can help during that time.

"When we started, we were probably doing about 25 the most each day, and then when we moved to the next place, we doubled, almost quadrupled that and then to here," she said.

Cars line up about an hour before they open, but once 10 o'clock hits, they open trunks and load groceries.

Marge says she loves seeing the reactions of the people they help.

"It's a God-given joy to me to be able to do this," said Marge.

On Sunday, the center will be open and the group will be handing out 250 Thanksgiving meals to families.