By Lorrie Ross
Staff Writer
Many people need a little help sometimes, while other people may be the ones offering helping hands. In the mountain communities around Clay County, there are lots of groups providing opportunities to help and be helped. Over the next several weeks, we will share what these groups are doing.
This week, Matt’s Ministry is the focus. Named in memory of Matt Butler, a young man who died in October 2012, shortly before his 24th birthday. Matt’s Ministry is a food pantry, but it is so much more. It provides a space for clothing giveaways and is allied with the Imagination Library so Clay County children can receive free books.
At Mattsministry.org, part of the group’s mission states, “As part of the Body of Christ we are mandated to follow the teachings and practice of Christ to feed the hungry and make Disciples of Christ, Matthew 25:35. We see no reason not to address the hunger issue among our children because we believe everyone needs a hand every once in a while and for some of them the time is now.”
It all started with a sermon in spring 2013 by Jackie Sellers, pastor of what was Ledford’s Chapel United Methodist Church at the time. He challenged his congregation to do something for the local community the way Butler had done during most of his life, despite also battling Lupus and other related illnesses. Butler and his family were members of Sellers’s church, and he was beloved by people throughout the community.
Plans came together quickly and the group started a ministry for local children that same summer. Butler’s mother, Maggie Butler, explained. “We gave out weekend food packs from Manna at Discovery Pathways and at the Black and Gold Center,” she said. The first group of food backpacks went to about 120 children at those programs.
“At the end of the summer, we started the food pantry at church in the fall of 2013,” she continued. “We named it Matt’s Ministry after we opened the food pantry. From the beginning, the community has shown support to us.”
Matt’s Ministry is and has always been a non-profit, as part of Ledford’s Chapel, according to Butler. As the program grew, more space was needed. So a couple of years later, a building was built on a site adjacent to Ledford Chapel’s parsonage across the highway from the church. “There was no debt to build the building,” Butler said proudly. “We never had any debt.”
Matt’s family has been involved with Matt’s Ministry since its onset. Maggie was a preschool teacher who recognizes the value of books. Her son, Matt, always had a love of reading, so Matt’s Ministry partnered with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to provide free books to every child in Clay County from newborn to age five. Since they started enrolling children in March 2015 in association with Read Across America at Hayesville Elementary School, 43,752 books have been mailed to Clay County children. The monthly program costs about $125 per child per year but children receive books free.
Over the years since its inception, many local groups have participated with Matt’s Ministry. Churches and other agencies have collected and donated, but many also volunteer. Families and some individuals show up to unload food deliveries. Farmers have donated meat, eggs or produce and some Girl Scouts sold seeds to raise funds. “We have lots and lots of support from community and local churches,” Butler smiled.
Matt’s Ministry is open from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. every Saturday. Guidelines from Manna, which is part of the National Feed America effort, say patrons should be local residents who self-declare their need, but Butler said they serve anyone who needs help. Plus, patrons are welcome every week.
In partnership with the Clay County Food Pantry, they hold a food pantry at Brasstown Community Center from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. every other Thursday. A clothing ministry started by Lori Allen was originally held at Matt’s Ministry but now sets up at Ledford’s Chapel where there is more space. More projects are in the works.
There are several ways to help Matt’s Ministry. Volunteers are needed for unloading trucks on food delivery day and serving on Saturdays. People may just drop in or register to volunteer at the website, especially if it will be a group. Some churches and other organizations have regular schedules. “Some weeks we need volunteers more than other weeks,” Butler added.
Monetary donations are also needed. For every dollar spent by Matt’s Ministry at Manna, they are able to provide 3.5 meals. Money is also needed for the book program. Checks may be mailed to Matt’s Ministry, P.O. Box 205, Hayesville, N.C. 28904 or donations may be made online at: www.mattsministry.org. To donate by phone or for details call: (828) 361-9083. This number will be answered until 12 p.m. on Saturdays and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays.
Matt’s Ministry is located at 129 W.J. Cabe Road in Hayesville.