What started as a simple request at the very start of the pandemic from one of the head teachers of a local school, asking if we could provide hot meals for the students of his school who were receiving free meals, but were now going to be affected by the lockdown, ended up becoming a large scale operation undertaken by Gateway Church, ending up in providing over 12,000 cooked meals and food parcels over the year, not just to students, but vulnerable families and individuals in the community, as well as the NHS night staff at local hospital.
Armed with a small team of volunteers, a small kitchen, not much resources to begin with, but with a heart of faith and compassion – began a daily military-like routine of sourcing, prepping, cooking, packing, labelling, and hand-delivering to each doorstep several hundred freshly cooked and much looked-forward to meals, even taking into account allergy and dietary requirements.
Over the period of time, over 850 kilos of meats were used, 815 kilos of potatoes, close to a tonne of vegetables, 3900 pieces of fruit, 11872 reusable containers, over 11000 paper carry bags, 3700 sets of cutlery, 3400 soft drinks, 29997 sticky labels, 3200 post-it notes …. All this by way of God’s supernatural provision and answers to prayer, as God touched so many wonderful individuals and businesses in the church and the community to come forward to support this project.
Our motto has always been “Blessed to be a Blessing”. And we thank God that as we stepped out with childlike faith, trusting Him to provide what He had asked us to step into, He used this project to bless and touch so many hearts. The stories, the messages, the cards, and the appreciation continues to pour in even till today. And so does our work.
Gateway Church, Abergavenny
We at Gateway are a part of this glorious church. We represent one congregation of many, that are part of this one ever-growing, living church.
We are ordinary people, transformed by an extraordinary God. Called now to represent Him to our generation for who He really is. We are real people, who face the realities of everyday life but who have encountered a life-changing God, who provides real answers to all of life’s challenges.
Come journey with us, and you will experience for yourself how wonderful life can really be, when God becomes a part of it.
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