LISA SCHROPP/THE EXPRESS Picture in front of the New Love Center’s Mobile Pantry outside of Beech Creek Wesleyan Church are, from left, Jamie Walker, mayor of Beech Creek; Holly Beaver, executive director, The New Love Center; Alan Eckenroad, pastor of the Beech Creek Wesleyan Church; Kathy English, church member of Beech Creek Wesleyan Church; and Dave Winkleman, board president, The New Love Center.

LISA SCHROPP/THE EXPRESS
Picture in front of the New Love Center’s Mobile Pantry outside of Beech Creek Wesleyan Church are, from left, Jamie Walker, mayor of Beech Creek; Holly Beaver, executive director, The New Love Center; Alan Eckenroad, pastor of the Beech Creek Wesleyan Church; Kathy English, church member of Beech Creek Wesleyan Church; and Dave Winkleman, board president, The New Love Center.

BEECH CREEK — The New Love Center is excited to announce the launch of a new Mobile Pantry distribution site in the Beech Creek area.

On Jan. 22, the Mobile Pantry team visited Beech Creek Wesleyan Church, marking the beginning of a new partnership focused on meeting the growing needs of neighbors facing food insecurity in the region.

This new location becomes the seventh Mobile Pantry site served each month by The New Love Center.

The launch was made possible through the generous support of Beech Creek Wesleyan Church, where 15 church volunteers worked side by side with The New Love Center’s team to distribute food to local households.

“The willingness of the church volunteers to come alongside our team speaks volumes,” said Holly Beaver, executive director of The New Love Center. “This is what it looks like when the community comes together to love and serve our neighbors.”

Beech Creek Mayor Jamie Walker said the mobile pantry will help to ease financial pressure on local households.

“There’s obviously a need in the community and if we can do anything to help, whether it’s donating your time or whatever resources you have, I encourage residents to support each other,” Walker said. “It’s an added bonus that The New Love Center is coming in and bringing this benefit to the community.”

Walker added that meeting basic needs like food can have a ripple effect for families working to stay stable.

“Our goal is that by providing food to them, it can free up money to pay for rent, heat or other necessities,” he said.

At The New Love Center, food assistance is provided through multiple programs designed to meet people where they are. Each month, approximately 1,091 households are served through the Pantry Choice and Mobile Pantry programs, with the Mobile Pantry alone reaching an average of 350 households. In addition, The New Love Center operates a cafe that serves approximately 1,500 individuals each month, offering not only meals but a welcoming place of dignity, connection, and care.

“The need continues to grow, and so does our commitment,” Beaver shared. “By expanding our Mobile Pantry into Beech Creek, we are able to reach more families and remind them that they are seen, valued, and not alone.”

As a faith-based nonprofit, The New Love Center is guided by its mission to share the love of Christ through practical service. “Everything we do is rooted in the belief that we are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus,” Beaver said. “This new Mobile Pantry site is one more way we can live out that calling–by feeding both bodies and hearts with compassion and hope.”