Butler’s Covenant Food Cupboard officially said goodbye Wednesday night with a farewell banquet.
Covenant Food Cupboard started 40 years ago, in 1977, in a small cupboard in the basement of Covenant Presbyterian Church. At the time, six families in need were being served. The ministry grew to where multiple churches got involved with teams of volunteers and they shared in the effort. Each team had a coordinator who secured help for the effort. At one point, not only food was shared, but also paper products and other goods.
The churches involved were:
First United Methodist Church
Christ Community Methodist Church
St. Peter’s Anglican (Episcopal Church)
Grace @Calvary Lutheran Church
Faith Presbyterian Church
Trinity Presbyterian Church
Hill Presbyterian Church
East Butler Presbyterian Church
Covenant Presbyterian Church
After Pullman Standard closed in 1982, the need grew. At it’s peak, the effort was serving up to 250 families. Records show in 2005 the number of families that went to the Covenant Food Cupboard started to decline and have done so ever since. In the first few months of 2017, only 59 families were served.
The cupboard officially closed its doors on June 1, 2017. The decision not only included the decline of the number of families served but also the aging volunteers.
Former patrons of Covenant Food Cupboard are now being served in downtown Butler by other food banks like St. Vincent de Paul and the Salvation Army.
Four for God musical group sang for the group of volunteers, with attendees, at one point, joining in on Amazing Grace.
Written By: Tracey Morgan for the Butler Radio Network
