A man in military garb greeted Kelly Wren Monday at the back door of Fayetteville Urban Ministry where she was picking up a shopping bag filled with free food.
"As soldiers, we know what it's like being in a tight spot," Army Chaplain Nick Stavlund told her.
With her permission, Stavlund held Wren's hands and prayed for her. Then he took the groceries to her van and loaded them.
Wren, a single mother struggling to make ends meet, was overwhelmed by the charity's gift and Stavlund's kindness.
"You would think being in the Army they have everything," she said. "But just like he said, they need help sometimes, too."
Stavlund was one of five Army chaplains at the charity Monday morning, filling and giving out holiday food bags for needy families. It was the group's second visit this month and part of an outreach project by 1st Sustainment Command (Theater) aimed at helping soldiers connect with and give back to the civilian community.
"The Fayetteville community is very supportive, so to be able to have an opportunity for our soldiers to give back in a small way is an honor," said Chaplain Carol Highsmith. "I believe it gives service members an appreciation for what the needs of our community are."
Fayetteville Urban Ministry welcomed their help. The charity on Whitfield Street has given away about 400 holiday food bags to needy families since Dec. 8 and expects to send up to 200 more out the door by Christmas Eve. Emergency assistance coordinator Janice Voter said the charity has the food but was glad for the extra muscle in loading the brown-paper shopping bags.
"This is just a win-win for us," she said.
It was an assembly line operation. Grocery carts stood in a line in a back room at Urban Ministry, each filled with a particular type of food item - cans of green peas, green beans, corn, yams, tuna, fruit, ham, collards, chunky soup, cranberry sauce and chicken broth and bags or boxes of dried beans, mashed potatoes, stuffing, rice, macaroni and cheese, cornbread, ramen noodles, brownie mix and containers of peanut butter and jelly. Each recipient also gets a frozen turkey or chicken.
Carol Ballard, an Urban Ministry worker, said it's not always easy to find people and time to fill the bags with everything else that has to be done.
Monday, though, five sets of camo-clad arms flew through the work.
Chaplain Raymond Robinson said he had been pondering how to mount a community service project in Fayetteville for interested soldiers when Fayetteville Urban Ministry executive director Johnny Wilson spoke at a chaplains luncheon on Fort Bragg.
"I said, 'That's what we've been looking for!'" he recalled.
Robinson said he plans to get his group involved in the charity's Nehemiah Project, which uses volunteers to do home repairs for needy people. But with that program on hold until spring, he said the chaplains were glad to step up sooner by helping with the holiday food bags. On their first visit to the charity in early December, they came with 10 soldiers. Monday, with a lighter work load, only the chaplains came.
Robinson said the community service project aims to help soldiers who volunteer, as well as the needy people they serve. It can help them live out their Army values, connect with the local community and, if they hold a religious belief, live out their faith.
"We're trying to help soldiers find their purpose in life," he said. "It's amazing how doing a simple service project can be so rewarding to the individual soldier."
Chaplain Mackberth Williams said the volunteer time helped him gain first-hand knowledge of a charity that he's known about for more than 20 years and to which he has directed needy soldiers and veterans.
"This has been a lifesaver for a lot of them," he said.
Chaplain Assistant Dexter Nock carried a food bag to Malissa Shaw's vehicle, then gave her a hug.
"'Tis the season of giving," he said. "It could be me next time needing assistance from her. It brings it all in perspective."
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