GREENVILLE, S.C. – A group in Greenville is serving people in their community that need it most. Changing Your Mind Ministries is providing fresh produce and meats to more than a dozen families. They do this once in the middle of every month.
“Changing Your Mind Ministries serves the people. We lead with love,” said Lashawn Leitzsey, the Women’s Ministry Coordinator at CYM.
The ministry first stepped in with food assistance in at the start of the pandemic when they noticed more people in need. Since then, the program has only grown, and despite the hurdles, each month, CYM does whatever they can to make sure families are fed.
“When they open it up, we got fruits, veggies, we try to stay away from having too much processed food,” Leitzsey said.
Every month since June, they’ve been packing, and giving away dozens of produce bags, 160 pounds of chicken and 90 pounds of fish on average.
“They’re all on fixed income. So everything has gone up– everything– but their income is exactly the same” she said.
Leitzsey started the program along with Lead Pastor Wendell Jones. In the beginning it was small, only serving kids in their afterschool care and seniors in the congregation. Leitzsey began noticing more displacement, and homelessness in the Crestwood and Boulder Creek area.
“It was like okay, we got to go forward, and our budget hasn’t increased but the demand has” she said.
The ministry buys food each month. For a family of four, each bag has two or three full meals, for a single person or smaller families it can last longer.
“Then they know ‘alright, I have enough food for the next two weeks so I can get my medication, I can get my gas, I can still live until the first of the month,’” Leitzsey said.
On pick up day’s they give out quickly—usually within the first two hours.
“It breaks my heart every time I sit out there and I’m waiting for the people who are going to show up, that I have to say I’m sorry, ” she said.
Leitzey says while it’ll never be enough, what they can do makes a difference.
“You don’t know what the fix is, but we can be a resource,” she said.
Source: FOX Carolina
