photo by: Niamh Coomey

Latisha Cummings, one of the organizers of the Stuff the Bus event for the upcoming Easter food giveaway through Greater Love Ministries, stops for a photo with some of the donated items from Riesbeck’s Food Markets.

Greater Love Ministries held its annual “Stuff the Bus” event Thursday evening at Riesbeck’s Food Market in Elm Grove to collect food and other items for their annual Easter basket giveaway event next Saturday.

Upon arriving, volunteers were able to grab a list of items, such as canned food and hygiene products, and then go into Riesbeck’s to shop. Then, volunteers with the ministry filled a van with the loaded bags of goods to be brought back to the church.

Greater Love Ministries, led by Bishop Darrell W. Cummings and First Lady Latisha Cummings, is located at Bethlehem Apostolic Temple in Wheeling and Shiloh Apostolic Faith Assembly in Weirton. The ministry holds their Easter drive each year.

Latisha Cummings said that, despite the gloomy weather, many people from the area showed up to participate in the drive, either by shopping for the listed items themselves or donating money.

Midway through the event Thursday, several vanfulls of food bags had already left the Riesbeck’s parking lot.

“Turnout has been very great. The weather isn’t the best today but we’ve had a nice steady flow ever since we started,” Cummings said. “We’re very pleased with what is happening and it seems like everybody is supporting it.”

Cummings said they have donated goods for anywhere from 200 to 1,000 families during the Easter event in years past.

“We really never know how many people we’re going to help,” she said. “It varies every year depending on the need in the community at the time.”

Due to the high cost of groceries and other items right now, many people can only afford “the basics,” Cummings said. The church wants to help families get some of the extra things that make Easter special.

“During Easter that’s a special time where families can come together and enjoy each other’s company and so we’re trying to give them that chance to have an actual Easter meal with all the nice goodies and toppings,” Cummings said.

The drive does not have any income or residency requirements, meaning anyone in need who is able to make it to the event is eligible to receive an Easter basket.

“We’ve had people come from Pennsylvania, we’ve had people come from different parts of Ohio and other states in the area, we just help anybody that is in need,” Cummings said.

The Easter basket giveaway will take place at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 19 at the North Wheeling Dream Center.

People can continue to give by contacting the church directly by phone at 304-233-8899, or sending checks to Bethlehem Temple’s PO box, 6051 and put “Easter food giveaway” in the memo.

“We know that there’s a lot of people that are working but they’re that penny short where they can’t get assistance at other places and so we’re that location where they can come,” Cummings said. “We don’t care what you make and we don’t care where you live, we just want to be a blessing to help you.”