Thursday, October 1, 2026
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Cherryville, NC (WNN)—Located at 3240 Tryon Courthouse Road, Shady Grove Baptist Church's food ministry has been a lifeline for the local community since 2016. The ministry relocated to the Shady Grove Church Campus, improving its ability to feed needy families, especially seniors. With a mission rooted in compassion, the ministry has made it their goal to support individuals who are struggling, particularly the elderly, who often face tough decisions between buying food or medication.
The initial operation of the food ministry began at a facility on Tryon Courthouse Road, which was donated to the church. The church members prepared the boxes of food themselves for six months before joining hands with Second Harvest of Charlotte, which currently provides a large majority of the food for the ministry.
While the ministry previously also distributed clothing, the distribution is now limited to just food after they moved their location to their church campus. This helps them to better respond to the increasing needs of the families, according to church member Mary Beth Buchanan, who manages the ministry.
We decided to go with the food program now," Buchanan stated. "Our purpose is to take care of poor families, particularly our seniors. It is hard for them—they have to decide whether to get groceries or their medication, and we want to relieve that burden from them."
Senior boxes are specifically designed for individuals aged 60 and older. Applicants must qualify based on income requirements. These pre-packaged boxes, which are supplied by Second Harvest of Charlotte, are distributed on the third Tuesday of every month. They contain essential food items to help seniors make ends meet.
To receive food from the ministry, individuals must complete an application and meet certain income criteria. Additionally, this application process is being streamlined electronically, making it easier for families to apply and for the church to track who qualifies. "Everything is done electronically now, so it's efficient, but we do remind everyone to bring their IDs," said Buchanan.
Despite the move, the ministry's mission has stayed the same, and its numbers are continuously growing. "We've seen an increase in the number of people we serve," added Buchanan. "And we're exploring the possibility of adding a third program that would bring in even more food through Second Harvest of Charlotte."
The food ministry operates every Tuesday from 3 to 5 p.m. at Shady Grove Baptist Church. For more information, you can call the ministry at 704-729-6698
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