NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — 250 families in some middle Tennessee communities received a special delivery Sunday.
It's part of a growing annual outreach effort from the south Nashville church, The Village.
At the Village on Sunday, 11-year-old Natalie Barfoot and her mom Elizabeth hunted for some tasty treats.
The two packed boxes are to be taken to a Tennessee family facing food insecurity this winter.
"It's kind of like a Christmas gift and it's filled with things like cans of soup, crackers, bread, anything like that," said Natalie Barfoot, an 11-year-old congregation member.
It's all part of the Village's special Go Serve Sunday program.
"Every family gets three boxes and a bag, so hopefully it a works out to two weeks' worth of groceries to help them out during the season," said Pastor Travis Garner, lead pastor with The Village.
This marks the 9th year of the annual tradition.
"I think we did about 20 families that first Christmas and we loved it," Garner said.
This year that number's gone up to 250.
The congregation's offerings pay for the groceries and the church connects their members to people in need.
"We've worked with our local school partners, and that's where we got the names of the families from. So we're delivering to those families today," Garner said.
For Elizabeth Barfoot, it's an opportunity for her daughter Natalie to experience the joy of giving at a time when many kids are used to receiving.
"We get to actually deliver the boxes to the family that's in need. So they get to actually hand deliver that and see the reactions on their faces," said Elizabeth Barfoot, a Village Church congregation member.
While the delivery may only last a short time, the lessons learned from giving are much longer lasting.
"If somebody is going through a hard time or they need extra help, I know how to do it and I know what words to say," said Natalie Barfoot.
The Village has two Go Serve Sundays per year.
Church leaders said they also offer an ongoing special backpack program to help give food to kids in need.
Click here for more information on that.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at robb.coles@newschannel5.com.
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