STONECREST — After two-and-a-half years of providing free meals and resources to families since the start of the pandemic, New Birth Missionary Baptist Church will reach a sobering milestone of serving its millionth person on Oct. 15, at 9:30 a.m.
The food distribution event, led by The King’s Table food ministry, will take place on New Birth’s campus located at 6400 Woodrow Rd., in Stonecrest.
“The persistent truth is that mounting food insecurity for families and seniors continue to be a solemn reality as our global markets continue to sputter, rising inflation rates challenge our checkbooks and the looming threat of a recession constricts our economic outlook,” said New Birth Senior Pastor Dr. Jamal Bryant. “However, the power of people when we come together can truly move mountains. As we welcome our one millionth person to our campus on Oct. 15, we really share the joy of giving with nearly 100 local, national and global partners who have made this moment possible and have remained committed to being the best example of humanity in the time of crisis.”
In March 2020, New Birth launched The King’s Table food pantry — initially serving 300 families each month. Within a week after global health organizations declared the COVID-19 outreach a pandemic, The King’s Table hosted weekly food distributions drawing thousands of cars each Saturday.
Addressing food insecurities and the growing needs of families were more extensive than the direct reach of The King’s Table and New Birth. Dr. Bryant quickly expanded efforts by collaborating with more than 100 faith-based organizations from Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina.
“Thanks to the generosity of our partners, we were able to mobilize a network of community-based organizations to ensure the reach of The King’s Table was never limited to families in our immediate radius,” said New Birth’s Outreach Pastor Carla Stokes. “What people have witnessed of The King’s Table over these last few years really has focused on our Saturday outreach but we work throughout the week to ensure our regional partners can mirror our outreach efforts in their respective locations and have the resources to help curb hunger in their community.”
Partnership has propelled The King’s Table during the height of the pandemic with collaborations including DeKalb County Government, Stonecrest Cares, Slutty Vegan, PETA, JD’s Vegan Ice Cream, Steve and Marjorie Harvey Foundation, Amy Witherite (1-800-TruckWreck), Publix, Sysco, Cigna, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Lowe’s, Pepsico, Hormel, Tyson Foods and more.
‘Road to One Million’: Silver Lining Hits the Silver Screen
Prior to New Birth and The King’s Table officially reaching the milestone of serving one million people since the pandemic, the ministries will screen the documentary Road to One Million that chronicles the work to serve throughout the global health crisis, the people who serve year-long and the families who have benefited from the support found through this effort. The invite-only screening is scheduled on Oct. 12, begins at 7 p.m. at the Midtown Art Cinema, located at 931 Monroe Dr., NE in Atlanta.
New Birth and The King’s Table will stream the Road to One Million documentary on Oct. 17, at 7:30 p.m. live on the church’s YouTube and Facebook pages.
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