POWELL COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — A man from Lexington, Illinois is carrying out his father's dream of feeding one Kentucky community. A non-profit, “Servants of Our Lord Ministry,” founded nearly 10 years ago is needed now more than ever to help people in Powell County.
What started as a visit has turned into something much bigger. Steven Whaley and his wife are helping those with the greatest needs in Powell County through food donations from around the country.
"He came down with some friends and saw a need in this area for some assistance, and so he talked to some people back up in central Illinois and people got together and just started to try and provide help for this area,” says Whaley.
Nearly 40 organizations from around the community get food from the warehouse every month. There are between 4,000 and 5,000 cases of food that go out.
"Some of them this is all they get every month. Some of them are just small churches that have a small food pantry, that service a dozen families or something like that,” says Whaley.
Steven and others from Lexington, Illinois drive big box trucks down once a month from Midwest Food Bank. Inmates from the Powell County Detention Center come to help organize and pack the donations. Leaders say they are a big part of the mission and bring valuable skills to the table.
Steven’s wife, Salissa Whaley, says, "They are very good for the manual labor part of it, but they're also good with just fulfilling the orders that we have for the various food pantries that we fill."
Stanton’s community leaders say, "Servant of Our Lord Ministry's" mission is making a major difference.
Pastor of Stanton Christian Church, Greg Webb, says, "This is a lower-income area, a lot of poverty, a lot of drug addiction and this is just one of the many ways we can make our community a better place to live."
Pastor Greg Webb says he hopes this mission inspires others to fill the community's needs.
"I know it means a lot to a lot of people down here, so, just glad we can help out,” says Steven.
“Servants of Our Lord Ministry,” say they are looking to move into an even larger warehouse in or around Stanton in Powell County. They are looking for the community's help in finding a new location. Anyone with any information can reach out to the organization online at servantsofourlordministry.com.
