Feeding people in mind, body and spirit is an important focus for many Episcopal churches, including those in the Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida.

For more than 2 ½ years, the Church of the Holy Spirit in Apopka has fed the hungry on the third Saturday of each month. The ministry is the brainchild of Barbara Long, who coordinates the monthly endeavor held on the patio of the parish hall.

“Barbara does this in thanksgiving to God and hopes to enlarge this service in the future,” said the Rev. John J. Pallard, rector at Church of the Holy Spirit. He added that volunteers are invited to help Long serve the hungry each month. Currently, 40 to 50 people are served each month on average. “Many are repeaters,” Pallard said.

Church volunteers offer guests a filling brown-bag lunch that includes sandwiches, pudding cups, fruit cups and a small bag of chips. Donations from congregants defray program costs.

The church’s next feed-the-hungry event is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, May 20. Because of Holy Week activities, no event was held on April 15.

The Church of the Holy Spirit is one of multiple churches in the Central Florida Diocese that feed the hungry. For more information on how to donate or volunteer for the Church of the Holy Spirit’s monthly event, please call 407-886-1740.