National contest could provide a four-wheel-drive vehicle and funding to help expand food assistance across Sevier County.
GATLINBURG, Tenn. — A food pantry that serves hundreds of families across the Gatlinburg area is asking the community for support in a national competition that could significantly expand its ability to fight food insecurity.
The First Baptist Gatlinburg Food Pantry has been named one of five national finalists in the Defender Service Awards Community Service category. The winning organization will receive a new Land Rover Defender and a $30,000 cash grant.
Senior Pastor Nick Moore said the ministry currently serves more than 300 families, with 120 to 150 families visiting the pantry on an average Wednesday.
“We’re really hoping this comes through,” Moore said. “The vehicle would help us tow our food trailer, but it would also allow us to reach some of our more remote clients, especially during the winter months.”
The pantry receives weekly food shipments from local suppliers that are transported on an equipment trailer. Moore said volunteers currently rely on a church van to tow the trailer, a solution he described as less than ideal.
Beyond transporting food, the four-wheel-drive capability of the Defender would allow volunteers to deliver groceries to residents living on steep, winding mountain roads throughout Sevier County.
“Sometimes these places are in remote parts of the county that aren’t serviced by road departments very soon,” Moore said. “People aren’t going to be able to get food if we don’t have a vehicle that can get to them.”
Moore said meeting physical needs is a central part of the church’s mission.
“If we want to have a message of hope and show God’s love, we can say it with our mouths, but one of the best ways to say it is with our hands by serving physical needs,” he said.
In addition to the vehicle, the $30,000 grant would help the church expand its food pantry, creating additional space to store, sort and distribute food to families in need.
Voting is open through Aug. 14, and supporters may cast one vote per day for each email address. The organization receiving the most votes in the Community Service category will win both the vehicle and the cash award.
Moore said the impact would extend far beyond the contest.
“A new vehicle with the capabilities the Defender offers could realistically serve this ministry for the next 20 years,” he said.
For the volunteers who stock shelves, load trailers and make deliveries each week, community support could help ensure that families throughout the mountains continue receiving food, no matter where they live.
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