Food for the Soul—The Saddleback Food Pantry Offers More than Groceries

Karen Sullivan never pictured herself grocery shopping down the aisles of a church-run food pantry. As a professional Realtor, she had a house, a car, and enough food to feed her three sons until a tragic automobile accident left her in terrible physical condition.

In extreme physical and spiritual pain, Karen turned away from God and the church after the accident left her unemployed and ineligible for surgery. Divorced and unable to work, Karen became financially dependent on family members and close friends, living from couch to couch. A battle over health insurance fueled her resentment towards God even more. “I put God on the shelf, which is not where he belongs,” she says.

Karen felt deeply humiliated and hopeless when she realized she couldn’t afford to put food on the table. “It’s been very hard to maintain my dignity and just breathe,” she says. When she heard about the Saddleback Church Food Pantry, she decided to swallow her pride in order to feed her family.

But Karen received more than just groceries from the Food Pantry. She received the unparalleled gift of spiritual healing through prayer. “Every time I prayed with a volunteer in the church parking lot I cried,” she says. “I was so grateful I could feed myself and my family.” Overcome with gratitude, Karen kept coming back to the Food Pantry to receive food, prayer, and God’s unconditional love. She also received a copy of The Purpose Driven Life and began accepting and trusting in God’s perfect plan.

When Karen moved from Foothill Ranch to Huntington Beach, she was even more grateful to see signs for Saddleback Church only two blocks away from where she lived. “I felt God calling me back into the church family,” she says. Just three weeks after she began attending services at the Huntington Beach campus, Karen recommitted her life to Jesus Christ through baptism. She finally felt cleansed and forgiven for turning from God in her darkest hour.

Despite her physical and financial hardships, Karen chooses to focus on what she does have as opposed to what she still needs. Her deepest prayer is not that God will provide money or a meal, but that he will simply help her wake up every morning and breathe. She lives each day with Psalm 118:24 in mind, "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Though she can only stand for 20 minutes at a time, she thanks God for giving her the strength to stand at all. And in return, Karen is serving others as a volunteer with the Loads of Love outreach project, bringing laundry detergent and fellowship to others in need at local laundromats. “I don’t have much to give,” she says, “but I can always offer myself.”

At the Saddleback Church Food Pantry, more than 70,000 pounds of food are distributed monthly to families in need. “When people can’t afford to buy food, it’s hard for them to ask for help because of pride,” Karen says. “But even a small can of green beans can help a family in need.” Karen’s family is one of thousands who are being blessed by the generosity of Saddleback’s Food Pantry every month.

Saddleback’s Food Pantry serves 3,500 local people every month. Our summer food drive is currently underway, and ongoing donations and volunteers are always needed and appreciated. For more information on ways you can join us in the fight against hunger, click HERE or visit our website at saddleback.com/foodpantry.