First Baptist Church in Robertsdale feeds community

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ROBERTSDALE, Alabama — Just days after feeding those affected by Hurricane Laura in Louisiana, volunteers from the First Baptist Church of Robertsdale were called back home to feed members of their own community following the devastation left in the wake of Hurricane Sally last week.

“The irony of it is, as I told the congregation this morning, we had just met Monday (Sept. 14) planning to return to Lake Charles, Louisiana, this weekend,” said FBC Robertsdale senior pastor, the Rev. Jeff Copeland on Sunday. “But it’s a blessing to be able to serve, not only those in need in other states, but also for those in need right here at home.”

In the weeks following Hurricane Laura, volunteers from the church’s Project C.A.R.E. unit served more than 6,000 meals to residents in Louisiana. Volunteers were in Lake Charles Sept. 11 and 12 and had just returned home Sept. 13 when Hurricane Sally made landfall in Baldwin County in the early morning hours of Sept. 16.

“Many of those same volunteers were right back here serving meals to members of our own community on Friday (Sept. 18),” said Josh Lilly, family pastor at the First Baptist Church and coordinator for Project C.A.R.E., which stands for Catastrophic Aftermath Response Effort.

After serving 1,000 meals on Friday, the church served 1,500 on Saturday and planned to serve 1,500 more on Sunday for a total of 4,000 meals at the church in Robertsdale, a total of 10,000 meals in all.

In addition, the church partnered with the Baldwin County Emergency Management Agency to house 75 rescue workers, housed volunteers and served as a staging area in Baldwin County for the Southern Baptist Convention Disaster Relief Alabama Task Force.