Combatting hunger in the community, volunteers braved the rain and stifling heat Saturday to help make a difference in lives.

Smithville Cumberland Presbyterian Church Pastor Isaac Gray says the church usually does its Mobile Drive-Thru Food Pantry about two or three times a year. “This is the first one we’ve had in the heat of the summer,” he said of Saturday’s event. “And, of course, it rained on us pretty well.”

Gray explained that recipients will line up on College Street and drive through the line of volunteers. “We put boxes in their car and fill it full of food,” he said. “Fresh fruits and vegetables, canned goods, cakes, milk and goodie to fill their pantries and refrigerators.”

Gray said they usually move several hundred boxes which translate into about 1,000 to 1,500 actually being fed. He noted that Smithville and DeKalb County has many people who go hungry on a regular basis.

“We are one of several food pantries in the area and we’re just doing our part to help put a dent in hunger and help feed people,” he said.