Gridley 1st Ward congregation members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints organize donations after a food drive for the Biggs United Methodist Church food closet. Children and adults went door-to-door collecting generous donations from Biggs residents. From left are Gray and Justin Leishman, Elder Landon Pugh, Bishop Dustin Barnette and Jennifer Barnette. Photo by Julie Thompson

GRIDLEY, CA (MPG) - Children of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints participated in an annual service project. The children of the Gridley 1st Ward congregation enjoyed going door to door in Biggs, collecting donations for the Biggs United Methodist Church food closet. Youth and adults also assisted the children.

“It was nice to see people of all ages come together and help. The community was very generous,” said Jessica Evans, who leads the Gridley 1st Ward Primary, the children’s organization. Evans took her son and nieces and nephews door to door and let the children do the talking. “It’s important to show kids how to give back at a young age.”

The Methodist Church food closet, which has been in operation for about eight years, serves about 20 households a month.

“There were lots of kids. They brought in a large amount of food,” said Jan Meyer, a volunteer with the food closet. Meyer said it went well, with volunteers from both churches organizing the donations so they could be stored for use. 

Unlike bigger food closets, Meyer said, they don’t get donations from local grocery stores. Biggs schools conduct food drives and individuals make donations to help. They also get occasional food surplus from the Bishops’ Storehouse of The Church of Jesus Christ, located in Chico.

The Methodist Church Food Closet is open from 10 a.m. to noon and 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of the month.

Church volunteers also distribute government commodities from 10 a.m. to noon and 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on the second Tuesday of the month.

The food closet also serves residents between distributions. Contact the food closet at 530-570-8307 for assistance. The food closet also takes food donations during those hours. The church and food closet are located at 441 C St. in Biggs.

“We are always there to help out. We are a small church but we seem to do a lot,” said Meyer.