CRESTVIEW–Around 25,000 people are served annually by Live Oak Baptist Church Food Ministry in Crestview. Each week, the ministry packs and distributes 200 boxes filled with meat, fresh produce and other pantry items, enough food for a week of meals.
“Taking the time to feed the personal needs opens the door to reach the spiritual needs as well. We’ve had many opportunities to pray with or share Christ with people from time to time. It truly is a ministry outreach.”
Steve Fensler
church member and food ministry volunteer, Live Oak Baptist Church, Crestview
On Mondays, volunteers pick up donations from Dollar General and Publix and receive truckloads from Destin Harvest, Feeding the Gulf Coast and the USDA. Meats are frozen, and food is sorted onto shelves to be put into boxes for recipients to pick up on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
“We have 15 to 20 volunteers who all know what to do when they get here,” said Millie Skowronski, food ministry coordinator. “It’s a lot of work, but we have fun and laugh and have community with one another.”
The ministry began in 2020 when a missionary brought fresh produce to the church for homebound members. As the produce was delivered throughout the community, word got out that Live Oak Baptist Church had food for those in need. The ministry expanded to snack boxes, then a mobile food pantry, and then Skowronski began purchasing food at the grocery store with money donated by church members. Word continued to spread, and the ministry grew with the church dedicating a Sunday School room to shelving and freezers and establishing a weekly schedule for food distribution.
“Our church membership has kept the ministry afloat with donations, and God has provided every need, including the freezers and the food. It all comes from God, and as long as we keep God in the middle of it, He just keeps blessing,” said Skowronski.
The weekly boxes include beef, chicken and pork as the base for several meals, fresh fruit and vegetables and many shelf-stable items. While many of the recipients are senior citizens and military veterans, the boxes are distributed to families and people of all ages.
“It all comes from God, and as long as we keep God in the middle of it, He just keeps blessing.”
Millie Skowronski
food ministry coordinator, Live Oak Baptist Church Food Ministry, Crestview
Steve Fensler, a church member who volunteers with the food ministry, drives a truck to pick up food donations and does some of the heavy lifting of boxes. He has had many opportunities to share an encouraging word and a friendly smile with recipients as he loads the boxes into their vehicles.
“Taking the time to feed the personal needs opens the door to reach the spiritual needs as well. We’ve had many opportunities to pray with or share Christ with people from time to time. It truly is a ministry outreach,” said Fensler. “As a member of Gideons International, I’ve had the opportunity to stand out in front of the food ministry and hand out New Testament Bibles and help others see how it applies to their lives.”
“Our church membership has kept the ministry afloat with donations, and God has provided every need, including the freezers and the food. It all comes from God, and as long as we keep God in the middle of it, He just keeps blessing,” said Skowronski.
