But God: A Story of God’s Provision
Running a food ministry comes with more challenges than one may think; space issues, need for volunteers, delivery drivers, and, of course, shelf-stable food.
In August of 2024, Backpack Love began to face new challenges on all fronts (with the exception of volunteers), most notably food availability. In fact, we were learning to get creative with how to use all the volunteers we had, since affordable food was scarce. Eventually, we had to reduce the frequency of volunteers, while still providing as many serving opportunities as possible. When we received an inquiry for help from a new volunteer group with Cargill Cares, we weren’t sure how we would be able to use them, as we really didn’t have an additional need at that time. Never wanting to turn away volunteers, we stretched and created ways for them to help.
In September of 2025, we received an email from Matthew Nix, the leader of the 2024 Cargill Cares volunteer group. Matthew is also a part of the Flowery Branch Masonic Lodge #212, and they chose to make a donation to our Backpack Love program. We were so grateful to receive this donation from them! But God wasn’t finished…
At the Masonic Lodge meeting on September 23rd, other organizations were also blessed with a donation. We met Lindsey McCamy, the Director of Family Promise. As she introduced her organization, we found that our ministries overlapped in several ways, including the challenge of food availability to meet the needs of those we serve. Lindsey mentioned receiving food donations from the LDS’ Bishop’s Storehouse in Tucker, Georgia, during her presentation. We inquired with her about this sourcing option, and she was very willing to provide the contact information. Upon our initial outreach, we were not overly hopeful; in fact, there were some of us who thought we might not hear back from them at all. But God... He knew the needs of the kids we serve in Hall County, and He had already met them. We just didn't know it yet.
On October 29th, we had a call with Cassie at the LDS’ Bishop’s Storehouse. As the conversation developed, it seemed God had orchestrated His provision in an extremely unforeseen way. Their storehouse's requirements were unique, based on the volume of provisions, and as she communicated them, both parties were amazed that Backpack Love met each one of them. The most critical requirement was the availability of a warehouse space that could unload and store an entire tractor-trailer load of shelf-stable food. Thanks to our generous partnership with Boost Transport, we had the facility and ability to accept their very last available load for the year. Cassie had been searching for an organization to bless, and God had already decided it would be Backpack Love!
On December 2nd, Cassie confirmed Backpack Love would receive the entire tractor-trailer load of food and other household items. On December 16th, we received 26 pallets, 36,000 lbs of food, for FREE (yes, you read that right)!
God is so amazing beyond what we could have ever imagined! Receiving a truckload of shelf-stable food when availability is very limited is nothing short of a miracle. The food we received is not only a blessing to our ministry, but we are also able to share it with other organizations in our area. What a privilege and blessing it is to serve the children and families in our community and to be part of meeting their needs in tangible ways. Don’t limit what God can do. He’s working even when we may not understand how the pieces will fit together!