From 24 Families to 2,000: The Incredible Growth of Stilwell Baptist Caring Ministry

Cars pull into a line at the front of the First Baptist Church of Stilwell in Stilwell, Kan., and drive around the building where volunteers load cardboard boxes of groceries into back seats and trunks. 

The volunteers represent Baptist, Methodist and the Reformed Church of Latter-day Saints congregations. High school students in need of volunteer hours for National Honor Society and scouting also donate their time and energy. 

“I have an awful lot of wonderful people that make me look good. This congregation would not be enough. I can get by with 25 volunteers, but that’s working those people pretty hard. It’s best when we have 40, because then somebody can take a break,” said Donna Rains, director of the Stilwell Baptist Caring Ministry, a nonprofit ministry that operates a drive-thru pantry from 2 to 4 p.m. on second and fourth Tuesdays and 6 to 7 p.m. every Thursday. 

The church began a program to feed people in the community in 1998. But growing up, there was no such program for Donna. Her father died when she was 13, and her mother was left to raise five children on her own. 

“You had your church, your family and your neighbors. If they knew you needed help, somebody got you a box, or they showed up at your door with something. There was no other help,” she said. 

The ministry’s reach has ballooned in tough economic times: In the early 2000s, the pantry was serving 24 families per month. Today, nearly 2,000 families per month ask for help. Meanwhile, Donna is grateful for every new volunteer that walks through the door, including a new group of volunteers from a nearby bank. 

“All of them just stood there with their mouth open. They were so enthralled by the amount of food (we distribute),” Donna said. 

Every other Tuesday brings seniors who prefer not to drive after dark or in rush-hour traffic. Thursday evenings brings more working-class families on their way home from work. Appointments are also available. 

“I have one lady that comes, and she can eat nothing from a can and nothing from a jar. She’s gluten-free, sugar-free, and dairy-free. The list goes on…. She had untreated Lyme’s disease, cancer, and now a car accident. She said, “I think you’re the only reason I’m alive.'”