By Haven Scott, True Life Center
As fall settles over Iron County and the first chill creeps into the nights, many residents are preparing for winter with worries about food and supplies.
Pastor Pete Akins is on a mission to help his neighbors through those challenges.
True Life Center will host its second annual golf tournament on Saturday, Oct. 11, to benefit the church’s food pantry. Akins calls the event a way of “teeing up hope, one meal at a time.”
“Join us to putt food on every plate,” he said. “Last year, we achieved an astounding $27,000 in fundraising, highlighting the remarkable support of our generous sponsors and dedicated players.”
The True Life Center Food Pantry began in 2010 after church members saw a need to support Cedar City residents despite the presence of other distribution sites.
What started with a handful of volunteers feeding two families a week has grown into a network of community members serving 250 hours each week, supporting an average of 10,000 Iron County residents each month.
Akins emphasized that the pantry and the golf fundraiser would not be possible without community partnerships.
“The USDA, Utah Food Bank, Walmart, Lin’s Marketplace and Great Harvest Bread Company are some of the larger players swinging into action to fight hunger,” he said. “But there are also countless single donors, church members and local businesses contributing 8,500 pounds of food every week — putting hunger in the rough, where it belongs.”
Food Pantry Coordinator Hepsiba Serrano said those who cannot play golf can still make a meaningful difference. Many of the people served by the pantry, she noted, are homeless or living in campers and motel rooms, without adequate ways to cook.
“The success of our food pantry is made possible by the incredible generosity of our donors,” Serrano said. “We are currently running low on meat to provide to those we serve. Canned meat, chicken, tuna, salmon and beef — any donation, no matter how small — would be helpful.”
Akins, a lifelong golfer, hopes the tournament will bring together those who share both his love of the game and commitment to community.
“Don’t just play the course — change the course of hunger,” he said.
Local businesses are encouraged to register teams, with opportunities for both sponsorship and business promotion. Both team and single-player registration for the second annual True Life Center Food Pantry Golf Tournament is now open.
The tournament takes place on Saturday, Oct. 11 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Cedar Ridge Golf Course in Cedar City. For more information, visit the True Life Center website or email Pastor Bryan Hernandez at [email protected].