Church offers food program

Matthew 25:35 says: "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in..."

That is the spirit in which Westside Church conducts its Bread of Life program at its Sisters campus, located at the former site of Three Sisters Fellowship.

Each Monday and Thursday, the church opens a food pantry and invites anyone with a need to come there to pick up food.

"There's no restriction," says Pastor Jerry Kaping. "None. If you need food, we want to feed you."

Bread of Life offers a "food pantry" as opposed to a "food bank." Volunteers set things up and participants peruse the goods for what they need.

"They actually shop down our aisles," Kaping said. "It's just like a grocery store."

Most of the food comes from donations from grocery stores.

"We end up purchasing a little from NeighborImpact," Kaping said.

The pastor noted that in the past 2-1/2 years, Bread of Life has fed 36,000 families in Central Oregon, distributing 177,000 pounds of food.

Jackie Shepardson manages the program at the Sisters church.

"She has a deep heart to feed people that are hungry," Kaping said.

Bread of Life starts at 5:30 p.m. on Monday evenings and at 12:45 p.m. on Thursday afternoons.

While many participants end up attending the church, the program is not just for believers in a particular faith.

"There is no message," Kaping said. "We're not doing it only for people who believe the way we believe. We're doing it to feed people who are hungry. I love Bread of Life. It may be one of the best things we've got going."

For more information call 541-549-4184.