ACS Food Bank: “Our main goal is to be the hands and feet of Jesus and to serve the community”

Some of the many volunteers of the Adventist Community Services Food Bank, (left to right) Carol, Kelley, and PattiJo. Donations are handed out every Tuesday from 8 to 11 a.m, and on the second and fourth Sunday of every month. Photo by Noel Mabile

KINGMAN – Adventist Community Services (ACS) has been holding their food bank for as long as the church has been in service – about 40 years. Adventist Community Services holds their food services once a week every Tuesday from 8 to 11 a.m. ACS also holds a separate food bank twice every month on Sundays for people who are unable to make it to the church on Tuesdays due to work or other barriers that may get in the way of receiving food that may be necessary for citizens.

The supplies donated to Adventist Community Services. Contributions are donated by St. Mary’s, people of the church, farms within the community, and members of the community surrounding the church. Photo by Noel Mabile

The ACS food bank works alongside the St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance, Arizona’s largest food distribution program. The program aids in the donations of food, but ACS receives contributions from church members and people of the community in addition to said donations.

100% of all donations go directly to the food bank. Services completely rely on the help of volunteers.

At times, ACS wonders how they will be able to feed every family, but in the end, organizer Boowie Tefft states, “The wagons are always full.”

Notably, although the Seventh-Day Adventist church may support vegetarianism, the ACS Food Bank provides the diverse community of people who may rely on these donations with meat products.

Since COVID, Adventist Community Services has used the method of lining up cars outside of the church to donate food. This has shown to be an effective way for ACS to donate food, especially to the handicapped. Photo by Noel Mabile

Residents in the area that come to the program have much to say about the Adventist Community Services Food Bank. “It really helps fill the gap in our food,” says Loren Schutte.

About 6,300 people are taken care of by the Adventist Community Services Food Bank every year, with up to 140 families coming to the food bank depending on the day.

During the pandemic, ACS switched up the system in which they handed off food; they began bringing the food to citizens’ cars using a line system. This turned out to be a great way to deliver food to handicapped people, a decently high demographic of those in need of donations, so they decided to continue the system. “I’ve been coming for years … they’ve been really consistent, even through 2020,” states Sarah Wolsey.

ACS is located at 3180 White Cliff Rd., (Program Director) 928-757-2976.

Noel Mabile