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A new truck will help a local nonprofit give food to the food insecure in Suffolk and surrounding areas.

The Suffolk Christian Fellowship Center received enough donations to buy a new food box truck in early September to help with its food ministry.

The purchase of this truck helps the feeding ministry in two significant ways. First, the truck will make daily operations more efficient. The bigger truck will allow more food and pallets to be transported without as many trucks and volunteers as previously needed.

Secondly, it can bring food to more places to bridge the gap seen in Suffolk and Western Tidewater while also expanding the ministry into Gates County, N.C., and other surrounding areas.

“We can now go directly to the communities with food insecurities,” said Lorna Slaughter, co-founder and chief operating officer for Suffolk Christian Fellowship Ministry and Suffolk Christian Fellowship Center. “It will not be to their doorstep, but much closer than them having to come to our downtown location.”

Before this truck, the Suffolk Christian Fellowship Center would rely on its pick-up truck or the vehicles of volunteers willing to donate their car or time to help pick up food from Operation Blessing or Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and Eastern Shore.

Many individuals, organizations and churches helped the center raise enough money to purchase the truck.

“We want to give thanks and honor to those who play a part in helping us acquire this much-needed resource for operation,” said Slaughter.

Those who donated include Blocker Foundation, Birdsong Peanuts, Birdsong Trust Fund, Louis and Mary Haddad Foundation, Suffolk Foundation, Main Street United Methodist Church, St. Andrew Presbyterian, Covenant Community Church, Westminster Reformed Presbyterian Church, and Dana Cutler.

The Advisory Council met to fix this need with Harry Cross leading the start of the process and Majdah Schiavi, who wrote the funding grants. Other helpers include Mike Duman, who helped research and find the truck, First Baptist Church who donated space in their parking lot for the truck to stay, and Hackworth Printing, who did the truck’s wrap.

“We want to give them their flowers,” said Slaughter. “It’s because of them we’re able to purchase this truck.”

The Suffolk Christian Fellowship Center helps those with food insecurities as well as other needs. The center gives food through its food rescue, emergency food, co-op and soup kitchen ministries. Other resources they offer include a diaper depot, charity closet and mobile resource program.

“I am very excited,” said Slaughter. “We were doing this before, but the truck makes it a lot easier and more efficient and more often and meets our goal to reach out and feed the need.”

The Suffolk Christian Resource Center is open from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Saturdays at 211 E. Washington St. Suite B.