How We Serve

COMMUNITY MEALS
When the government shutdown in late 2025 impacted SNAP funding, McDowell Presbyterian Church worked with other churches and organizations to host free community meals. Once the SNAP crisis was resolved, we decided to continue the meals one or two times a month, not only to provide food but also to encourage fellowship. Now, we serve lunch on the Wednesdays which the Food Truck comes to the Highland County Food Pantry, and occasional dinners and other meals. These are free and open to all. Come enjoy a good meal and some fellowship, or take it to go!

BLESSING BOX
Greg and Mary Robinson discovered micro food pantries in 2017 and worked to bring one to McDowell Presbyterian Church. The Blessing Box was dedicated on July 29, 2018.
The Robinsons saw a similar box at a church in Waynesboro and had one constructed by Timothy Heatwole. The Blessing Box is located at the church’s driveway and is available 24 hours a day.
The wooden outdoor pantry on a post contains canned and dry foodstuffs and occasionally fresh produce in the summer. Besides food, the box accepts personal items such as diapers, toothpaste, soap and shampoo.
Over the years, the Blessing Box has seen increased use. Church members restock it almost daily with donations from members, the community, and church funds dedicated to the ministry. The Highland Medical Center in Monterey established a Sharing Shed wth the same principals.

HIGHLAND COUNTY FOOD PANTRY
For several years, McDowell Presbyterian Church provided insurance and non-profit status to the Highland County Food Pantry, which operates out of the Stonewall Ruritan Club. McDowell Presbyterian stepped into this role after the former sponsor of the food pantry stopped in 2022. Even before taking that role, McDowell Presbyterian Church had been a long-time supporter of the food pantry through monetary, volunteers, and food donations. Now the food pantry is an independent non-profit and McDowell Presbyterian Church continues to collect donations for the pantry. The Highland County Food Pantry offers a monthly food truck, which anyone can access on the first Wednesday of the month.
It also operates an indoor pantry, which people must qualify for by filling out forms.

BATTERY RECYCLING
The Highland County Landfill does not recycle batteries. Seeing a need, McDowell Presbyterian Church has made it our job to see that as many batteries as possible from Highland County are recycled by participating in WeRecycle Battery Box, originally The Big Green Box.
Bring your used batteries to the sanctuary and look for the battery recycling station on the missions table on the left. Bag each type of battery separately in the provided baggies for safety- all AAs in one bag, all AAAs in a second bag and so forth. Drop the bags in the box and we take care of sending them off for recycling!
Many people do not realize it, but if batteries are disposed of incorrectly, they can greatly harm the environment. The safe disposal of batteries is not only important to people, but to the environment as well.

KIVA
Kiva is a micro-lending service started in 2005. We joined Kiva in 2015. We have, through donations, deposited $2350 to invest and loan. Kiva is a microloan program. Sometimes we have lent as little as 25.00. As the loans are repaid, the money is lent out again to someone else. We have lent just over 19,300.00 since we started: 330 loans to people in 42 countries.
According to the Kiva website (https://www.kiva.org/about) more than a billion people around the world do not have a bank account and cannot access credit. Kiva connects these people to crowd-funded loans to provide financial inclusion and opportunities to everyone.

Letters related to our recent KIVA loans

Dear Lenders, Thank you so much for contributing to Faith’s loan. We sincerely appreciate your support and wanted to provide you with an update. Faith received the loan and was able to purchase essential farm inputs including fertilizers, farm seeds and farm chemicals for this planting season. The crops are now well established and growing steadily. Faith also participated in training provided by Juhudi Kilimo on proper planting practices and financial literacy, gaining skills to improve farm planning and manage income more effectively. We remain grateful for your continued partnership in empowering smallholder farmers and promoting sustainable agriculture. Explore more loans like this: http://kiva.org/lend/filter?partner=156
-Juhudi Kilimo
Posted by Faith from Eldoret, Rift Valley, Kenya Jun 30, 2026

A short update and message of thanks from Lowela (Her original loan was $425; she has paid back 80%. We were one of 14 lenders)
During a recent visit, Lowela shared that the PHP 25,000 loan from Kiva has provided support for her livelihood and household needs. The loan has helped Lowela purchase additional materials and equipment for the maintenance of her fishing boat, supporting her income-generating activities and helping her manage her financial responsibilities. Through NWTF’s microfinance program, borrowers have access to business development support and client training designed to strengthen skills and improve opportunities. Lowela remains grateful to all Kiva lenders for their continued support.