BY ANGELA ZUMWALT

Special to The Pilot

October was designated as "Hunger Awareness Month" by organizations such as Feed The Children, who state that a staggering "one in five American children are at risk of hunger."

Brownson Memorial Presbyterian Church in Southern Pines has embraced the concept of "gleaning" to help alleviate the suffering of those who go hungry in the Sandhills area.

On Oct. 6, a team of 28 "gleaners," ranging in age from three to more than 85, made their way from Brownson Church in Southern Pines to a sweet potato field in nearby Cameron, owned by Chester and Kathy Pilson.

After a rigorous three-hour effort, the "gleaning," a practice mentioned often in the Bible as a means to provide for the poor and hungry, produced some sweet present day results.

The team filled large boxes with 2,189 pounds of sweet potatoes. They began picking around 9 a.m.

The Sandhills Food Bank sent its truck and driver, who had the harvest back to their warehouse by 12:30 p.m.

Through the Food Bank, the Coalition and other agencies were able to provide their clients with this freshly picked seasonal vegetable. Fresh vegetables are always a welcome change for those families who rely on local agencies.

The sweet potatoes were sitting in the field on the Saturday morning, picked by Saturday afternoon, and all distributed by Wednesday.

Brownson has established a permanent Gleaning Ministry designed to respond quickly to gleaning opportunities in the area and to help alleviate hunger.

Information on past and future trips can be found on the church website at brownsonchurch.org under "Outreach."