By Diane Larché
Dr. Jamal Bryant, Partners Mark ‘Road to One Million’ with Documentary Premiere, Onsite Event to Commemorate Collaborative Community Effort
Stonecrest, Georgia – After two and a half years of providing free meals and resources to families since the start of the pandemic, New Birth Missionary Baptist Church will reach a sobering milestone of serving its millionth person on October 15, 2022 at 9:30 am. The food distribution event, led by The King’s Table food ministry, will take place on New Birth’s campus located at 6400 Woodrow Road in Stonecrest, Georgia.
“The persistent truth is that the threat food insecurity facing families and seniors continue to be a solemn reality as our global markets continue to sputter, rising inflation rates challenge our checkbooks and the looming notion of a recession constricts our economic outlook,” said New Birth Senior Pastor Dr. Jamal Bryant. “However, the power of people when we come together can truly move mountains. As we welcome our one millionth person to our campus on October 15, we really share in the joy of giving with more than 100 local, national and global partners who have made this moment possible and have remained committed to being the best example of humanity in a time of crisis.”
In January 2020, New Birth launched The King’s Table food pantry — initially serving 30 families each month. Within a week after global health organizations declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic, The King’s Table’s weekly food distributions soared – drawing thousands of cars each Saturday. The King’s Table was also given the designation as an essential service provider by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Georgia Emergency Management Agency, which further enable the outreach ministry to provide essential food and resources to families on an ongoing basis.
Addressing food insecurities and the growing needs of families were more extensive than the direct reach of The King’s Table and New Birth alone. Dr. Bryant quickly expanded efforts by collaborating with more than 100 faith-based organizations from Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina.
“Thanks to the generosity of our partners, we were able to mobilize a network of community-based organizations to ensure the reach of The King’s Table was never limited to families in our immediate radius,” said New Birth’s Outreach Pastor Carla Stokes. “What people have witnessed of The King’s Table over these last few years really has focused on our Saturday outreach but we work throughout the week to ensure our regional partners can mirror our local efforts in their respective locations and have the resources to help curb hunger in their communities.”
Partnership has propelled The King’s Table during the height of the pandemic with collaborations with DeKalb County Government, Stonecrest Cares, Slutty Vegan, PETA, JD’s Vegan Ice Cream, Steve & Marjorie Harvey Foundation, Amy Witherite (1-800-TruckWreck), V-103, Xernona Clayton Foundation, Publix, Sysco, Cigna, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Loew’s, Pepsico, Hormel, Tyson Foods and more.
‘Road to One Million’: Silver Lining Hits the Silver Screen
Prior to New Birth and The King’s Table officially reaching the milestone of serving one million people since the pandemic, the ministries will screen the documentary Road to One Million that chronicles the work of the ministry throughout the global health crisis, the people who serve and the families who have benefited from the support found through this effort. The invite-only screening is scheduled on October 12, 2022 and begins at 7 pm at the Midtown Art Cinema, located at 931 Monroe Drive NE in Atlanta, Georgia 30308.
New Birth and The King’s Table will stream the Road to One Million documentary on October 17, 2022 at 7:30 pm, live, on the church’s YouTube and Facebook pages.
Event: King’s Table Food Distribution – One Millionth Person Served Day
Date: Saturday, October 15, 2022
Time: 9:30 am (Program begins at 9:45 am; Food distribution begins at 10 am)
Location: New Birth Missionary Baptist Church
6400 Woodrow Road
Stonecrest, Georgia 30038-2437