Asbury Outreach Coalition is a student-led organization that organizes various events in order to serve local communities. The organization is made up of a group of Asbury University graduates who are currently attending Asbury Theological Seminary. The graduate students are Andrew Seamands, Lydia Underwood, Jayden Britton and Lauryn Brittton.
AOC’s mission is to become a bridge between Asbury students and service providers within the community in order to establish long-term service habits. Essentially, AOC wants students to get involved and lead their own service events with their peers.
“The goal is to give students a catalyst for lifelong service,” said AOC organizer Lauryn Britton.
Through the once-a-month service opportunities, such as the Food Distribution opportunity, students are given the chance to make a meaningful impact in the community through hands-on involvement.
“We do a variety of different things from cleaning broken stuff off to feeding meals to people to cleaning up plants that aren’t supposed to be there,” said junior AOC member Daisy Edwards.
The Food Distribution event is held during the last week of every month, except for November and December, and is dedicated to supporting families and individuals facing food insecurity in the community.
While the families or individuals have to meet zip code and government requirements related to income in order to receive assistance, most of the rules offer enough flexibility for the families to receive these benefits. However, for those who need assistance and live out of the area, there can be emergency boxes created for the people in need.
“We have never not been able to give someone food here,” said Pat Kelly, Executive Director of the Community Service Center of Wilmore-High Bridge. “We have had to give people less sometimes, but we never ran out.”
At the event, students pack and prepare boxes filled with fresh produce, meat and dry goods. The boxes are then distributed to local families through a drive-thru system, which offers an efficient way to receive essential groceries and a moment of connection.
“We hope to meet practical needs while sharing compassion and strengthening the bonds within the Wilmore community,” said Britton.
There are a variety of volunteers that participate in this event. Elizabeth Harden, a member of the community who has volunteered at food pantries for over 10 years, remarked on her experience partnering with AOC.
“There’s always been a couple of different folks in that position [members of Asbury Outreach Coalition] over the years, but I always enjoy getting to see those folks again,” said Harden. “And, again, to just see their heart for service and wanting to facilitate students having the opportunity to serve.”
On Saturday, Oct. 25 the AOC partnered with the High Bridge Community Service Center for their monthly Food Distribution service opportunity.
Aside from community members, a variety of Asbury students were present at the event as well.
“This was my first time doing an event with the Asbury Outreach Coalition and it was really fun,” said freshman Breanna Bowers.
Through the service events that AOC hosts, the coalition hopes that community involvement becomes more than a means to receive school credit or a single nice act. AOC wants to build a habit of service that continues past college and to encourage students to create meaningful relationships from these opportunities.
“Our hope is that we would reflect the sacrificial and joyful love of Christ as we meet the practical needs of our community,” said Britton. “We don’t want this to just be one-time service opportunities, but rather the beginning of a lasting rhythm of service that becomes part of students’ daily lives.” If students wish to volunteer with AOC, or have any questions regarding the program, they can contact organizers Lauryn Britton at lauryn.britton@asbury.edu and Andrew Seamands at andrew.seamands@asburyseminary.edu.
Photo courtesy of Lauryn Britton.
