Every Saturday morning, long before the worship team tunes a guitar, our fellowship hall smells of fresh bread and coffee. That’s pantry day — when 300 Riverside households pick up groceries, diapers and encouragement from volunteers who know many of them by name.
Churches are often measured by Sunday attendance. We think a better metric is Monday impact: full shelves at the pantry, clean parks after serve day, tutored students passing exams, shelter residents greeted like family. Faith that stays inside the sanctuary never changed a neighborhood.
What service looks like here
Our outreach runs on three tracks. The food pantry meets weekly needs. Quarterly serve days mobilize hundreds for one-day projects — painting classrooms, clearing trails, packing relief boxes. And long-term partnerships with two shelters provide meals, mentorship and job-interview coaching month after month.
How you can help
You don’t need experience — just Saturday availability and a willing heart. Drivers, sorters, translators and prayer partners are all needed. Local grocers donate surplus food; volunteers donate the one thing money can’t buy: presence.
Visit our outreach page to sign up for the next serve day, or simply show up at the pantry door on Saturday at 9:00am. Riverside is waiting — and the coffee is on us.
