At the start of the pandemic in 2020, the region saw an increase in families seeking emergency food assistance, many for the very first time. More than ever before, people needed access to free, nutritious groceries. Brenda and Raymont Johnson, founders of Family Empowerment Ministries in Alliance, stepped up to serve their neighbors in need.
Family Empowerment Ministries was already a hunger-relief partner within the Foodbank’s network. The organization offers a hot meal program, Soul Food Sunday, that focuses on providing food for seniors but is available to everyone. “The senior citizens cooked for us all our lives and made sure that we were okay as kids, so I always want to give back to them,” Brenda said.
But during the pandemic, the couple saw an increased need for food within their community and decided to open a pantry. Together, they followed in the footsteps of Raymont’s mother who had managed a food pantry from their church when he was growing up. “I really get my heart to do this work from my mother,” Raymont said.
Two years later, the pantry continues to provide food for individuals every first and second Friday of the month. In addition to the pantry, Brenda holds a youth cooking class to teach individuals and families how to prepare the food they receive from the pantry. “The ultimate goal is to give the kids, and the parents who never really learned how to cook, the important life skill of preparing food for themselves,” Brenda said.
Being able to feed their community brings everything full-circle for Raymont. As a member of the Air Force, he and his family were relocated from their hometown of Alliance to Washington D.C. At times, he needed to rely on his local food pantry so that his family could have food on the table that night.
While waiting in line, he would think about the future when one day he could be the one providing food for families in need. “I’d always say, I’m going to give back.” Now decades later, he and Brenda are back in their hometown providing their neighbors with food and so much more.
In addition to food programs, Family Empowerment Ministries provides several services for their neighbors, including free diapers to parents for a year, computer lessons for seniors, piano lessons, winter coats, marriage counseling and more.
Brenda and Raymont will continue to give back because they see that their neighbors need it, and they can see their direct impact on local families.