Story by John West
A Vision to Feed Ministry of Valley will soon open a new food distribution branch in LaFayette. Carl Ashford, the CEO of A Vision to Feed, and Reverend Terry Magby of New Mt Sellers Missionary Baptist Church both spoke to the Lafayette City Council about the matter at their Mon, Feb 14 meeting.
“We are in Valley, over in Langdale,” Ashford said, “and we do have people from LaFayette coming down to get food every month.”
According to Ashford, his ministry already receives 45-50 orders a month from LaFayette citizens in need of food. Those numbers can go as high as 75. Because of the high number of orders, he has been looking for ways to set up in LaFayette.
“I was trying to look at something, to get up, to move that program up here, for it to function up here to keep people from driving that far to receive their food,” Ashford said.
The 501(c)(3) already has a truck to move food. They work with Auburn Food Bank as well as grocery stores such as Walmart and Piggly Wiggly. Ashford came before the city council to simply request a space in LaFayette to use and to see if the city would be able to provide a refrigerator and a freezer. He would provide everything else. Ashford said all the food would go to the community.
“God has given me a Vision to Feed Ministry,” he told the council. “We already go all over Alabama and all over Georgia. We feed just about every day as people call and need food.”
In his statements, Reverend Magby told the council “It would be a blessing to this area if y’all would allow A Vision to Feed Ministry to come here. “You really have to see what they do, and you’ll understand the way they help folks.” According to Magby, the program gives out canned goods, dry goods, frozen meat, milk, and other items. “The amount that they give out, it lasts a while. I stand there and I watch people come— both black and white— and I mean they line up for almost a mile getting those boxes,” he said.
Councilman Toney Thomas said, “Personally, I think it’s a good program.”
Councilwoman Tammie Williams agreed. “I also think that it would be a wonderful thing for the City of LaFayette to partner with A Vision to Feed,” she said. “There are a lot of people here that need food… He’s not really asking the city for anything but a place. If we purchase a freezer and refrigerator, we’re not purchasing it for him. It’s a purchase for a city of LaFayette building.”
Williams went on to say, “I think that we should jump on board and help feed some of these people here in LaFayette that’s driving to Valley for food.” The city council voted unanimously to help A Vision to Feed set up in LaFayette.
A Vision to Feed Ministry fed 145 families at an event last Friday. They have also served hot food in LaFayette before. In addition to food drive events, they also deliver to people’s homes.
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