From a conversation at a men's breakfast and an adult Sunday school series on sustainable living, people at NSMC have been led to find a way to be involved in ministering in Jesus' name feeding those who in need right here in Lake County.
The idea that formed was this: what if at the beginning of the season we invite people in our church and those growing vegetables in community gardens to think about donating the surplus or a portion of their garden produce throughout the season to North Suburban Mennonite Church so that we could distribute it to the Northern Illinois Food Bank and/or local food pantries.
What a simple idea, what an easy idea, what an easy way of increasing the amount of produce that could nourish families in need. Though this might not yield much at first, a pattern would be established that could eventually grow to include residents from all over Lake County—ten thousand gardens—all donating surplus produce to provide food for those in need.
We took this as the Spirit's leading and we have begun to set this idea in motion. To find out more, visit the Loving Neighbor website.