Michigan

Meet Barbara

Barbara, a 63-year-old grandmother from Detroit, Mich., stays home to take care of a big family—15 of her 24 grandchildren. She finds it difficult to afford enough healthful groceries to keep a houseful of growing children well nourished.

That’s where Immanuel Lutheran Church steps in. “We serve about 85 people each week,” said Lillian Williams, who operates the food pantry at Immanuel, supported by gifts to ELCA World Hunger. Volunteers fill bags with milk, eggs, cereal, canned goods and other staples to help families struggling to feed their children. “We pay special attention to each person we meet,” says Lillian. “When we are dealing with larger families, we are sure to add more food to the bag so that there is enough for everybody.”

When volunteers invited Barbara to come back to Immanuel for worship on Sunday morning, she gladly accepted—and brought several of her grandchildren with her. Immanuel is where she finds nourishment—body and soul. “I thank God for this church,” Barbara said. “If there were more like it, the whole community would be better.”

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