Increased Foot Traffic For Food At Black Churches

By Rosaland Tyler
Associate Editor
New Journal and Guide

Virginia Beach Pastors Robert and Wendy Spady of Open Altar Ministries said traffic is increasing at the food bank that their church has operated since 2017.

The line sometimes stretches a quarter of a mile on 4992 Euclid Rd., Ste. 6, in Virginia Beach, where the church is located. In addition to operating a pull-up pantry, the church also operates a food by appointment event only on Wednesdays and Thursdays. The church delivers food boxes to two senior facilities that have 70 to 80 residents. On the second Saturday of each month, the church serves about 125 meals to the homeless in partnership with another ministry – food that can be heated in a microwave or eaten without cooking.

Wendy Spady said, “Sometimes the line stretches for a quarter of a mile while they patiently wait their turns. But every week we feed 50 to 80 families, including 300 children.”

This year, she said, the demand has surged. “We have already seen a tremendous increase because we serve food by appointment only on Wednesdays and Thursdays. We’re well known as a food pantry in the Hampton Roads area.”

The church also serves two senior facilities with 70 and 80 residents. “We go to them twice a month and serve food boxes that are already made up, and we take meat from our freezer because the food bank supplies canned goods, but they’re out of meat,” Spady explains.

The pantry’s directory of available items, she says, “would normally be a page and a half. But that has been cut down significantly – not just because of the SNAP benefits cut, but also because of the funding they’re getting to make purchases from USDA products.”

Despite the challenges, she says, “We’ve been able to share meat from our two huge freezers. And we were able to get free chicken on Monday and have access to this store that gives us big totes and pallets of meats.”

On the second Saturday of each month, they also serve about 125 meals to the homeless in partnership with another ministry – food that can be heated in a microwave or eaten without cooking.

They also deliver food to people who are homebound or without transportation.

Some Other Area Churches With Free Food

• Bank Street Memorial Baptist Church, 7010 Auburn Ave, Suite M, Wednesdays 10 a.m.-12 p.m.; closed Oct. 29, Dec. 31, Jul. 29, 2026; (757) 857-7513.

• Basilica of Saint Mary Food Pantry, 232 Chapel St, Mondays & Wednesdays 9:30-11 a.m., Saturdays 12:30–2 p.m.; Soup Kitchen Mon., Wed., Thu., Fri. 12:30-1:30 p.m.; (757) 622-4487.

• Calvary Revival Church, 5575 Poplar Hall Dr, Tuesdays & Thursdays 12-6 p.m., Wednesdays 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sundays 11 a.m.-2 p.m.; (757) 321-9700.

• Burning Bush Worship Center, 405 Pendleton St., Tuesdays 8 a.m.-1 p.m.; (757) 543-4254. Walk-in, drive-thru, and delivery options.

• Campostella Heights SDA, 1006 Oakwood St., Wednesdays & Fridays 9:30-11 a.m.

• Changing Lives 365, 1761 Church St., Ste. 109, Tuesdays & Thursdays 8:30-11 a.m. and 4-6 p.m.; (757) 440-3125.

• Cornerstone Baptist Church, 1500 Sewells Point Rd, third Saturday 10 a.m.-12 p.m.; drive-thru.

• The Black Church Food Security Network offers programs such as The ARC, Soil to Sanctuary, Operation Higher Ground, and The Black Farm Tour.