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Snow Hill Christian Church Disciples of Christ will celebrate 145 years of ministry in October. Nestled in the Mount Willing community of Lowndes County, the congregation hosts monthly food distributions and recently partnered with grocery giant Publix Supermarkets to feed 375 families at its Sept. 13 food giveaway.

According to pastor Dale Braxton, the church partners monthly with the Heart of Alabama Food Bank to feed residents of Lowndes and surrounding counties. In September, Publix joined the effort as part of its semi-annual Good Together hunger campaign.

“We have a food bank every month,” Braxton said. “This time Publix brought their CEO from Lakeland, Florida. We had one district manager from Atlanta and one from Austin, Texas along with the Heart of Alabama Food Bank to come down and provide the food. They brought employees from Publix to distribute food to those less fortunate.”

Braxton said the church has hosted the monthly distributions for 41 years and feeds between 250 and 300 families from all over central Alabama including Butler, Lowndes, Crenshaw, Dallas, Wilcox and Covington counties.

“It’s part of our mission, part of our church to give back what we can and see results of our labor,” Braxton said.

Hungry people are rarely turned away, Braxton explained. The food bank does have an application to assess need, but according to Braxton, anyone expressing a need for food will receive help.

“We help anyone who needs it,” Braxton said. “If you come and are in need of help, we won’t turn  you away. Anyone who’s hungry, we’re going to feed them.”

Publix CEO Kevin Murphy, along with Publix team members from across Alabama, volunteered to help with the September event. The grocer’s hunger campaign contributed $11 million to more than 300 local food banks nationwide.

Through the Good Together food donation program, Publix gave over 100 million pounds of food in May, expanding the effort in September to include 4,000 additional products which are no longer salable but still safe for consumption to cut down on waste and provide wholesome foods for people facing hunger. Foods given to programs like the one operated by Snow Hill can include items from deli, grocery, meat and produce departments, even foods like yogurt and frozen foods.

“At Publix, we believe providing food for our neighbors in need is our greatest opportunity to give back, and doing so is at the heart of our philanthropic efforts,” Murphy said in a Sept. 17 media release. “We’re also grateful to Publix Super Markets Charities for its continued commitment to helping people experiencing food insecurity. Publix and Publix Charities’ continued work with food banks across the Southeast provide vital resources and nourishment to better the lives of individuals in our communities.”