SERVE OUR COMMUNITY

Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors
With utmost humility and respect, nourish the body and mind of all seeking help

I Need Help!

Do you need food assistance? Pantry on the Bluff is open on the first Wednesday of each month from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm at Bluff Park United Methodist Church. The church is located at 733 Valley Street, Hoover, AL 35226. Clients should come to the South covered entrance for assistance. There will be signs and greeters to direct you and answer any questions you may have.

If you need of food outside of our normal distribution times, you can find additional help on the  Community Food Bank website: https://www.feedingal.org/find-food/

Pantry on the Bluff has partnered with Bundles of Hope to provide disposable diapers in addition to food. Diapers are distributed at the same time as our food distribution on the first Wednesday of each month.

I Want to Help!

There are many ways to get involved with the Pantry on the Bluff. Here are some of the ways that you can support this important work:

Make a donation of money, food, or diapers

Financial donations allow us to buy in bulk and buy most needed items. Financial donations are tax deductible. Checks should be made out to BPUMC with a note at the bottom “for the Food Pantry.” You may also make a financial donation online. Direct your donation to ‘Food Pantry’ in the Funds drop-down menu. Grocery item and diaper donations should be placed at designated drop off bins located near the main entrances to the church building.

Organize a food drive

Children love to get involved. This is one way they can help. Contact committee members learn which items most needed. See a list of suggested food pantry items to donate.

Volunteer your time

Volunteers are the heart of our organization. Each month we need help packing grocery bags, bundling diapers, running the distribution, and restocking the pantry. If you would like to volunteer, email: adultministries@bpumc.org or call 205-822-0910.

Special gifts during the holidays or anytime

If you’re looking for the perfect holiday gift for family and friends, consider making a donation to The Pantry On The Bluff in a loved one’s name. Send us a donation, along with the name and address of the person you’d like to honor, and we will send them a beautiful notecard, letting them know that you’ve made a gift in their name.

Who We Are

The Pantry On The Bluff is a volunteer run community ministry of Bluff Park United Methodist Church that provides food for those that ask. We distribute food and diapers that have been purchased and donated. Last year, the Pantry on the Bluff supplied food and diapers to more than 200 families each month. The doors were opened to all who knocked. A diverse group of people is ultimately helped: older adults, children, the working poor, single-parent families and the newly unemployed.

Our History

The Pantry on the Bluff had a humble beginning. Prior to January 2008, the food program at Bluff Park United Methodist Church (BPUMC) consisted of providing food to four or five needy families that periodically came to the church office requesting assistance. Food was distributed from a small storage closet stocked with nonperishable items donated by members of the congregation. The church Director of Senior Services was the primary “keeper of the food closet.”

For several years, the number of families requesting assistance remained somewhat constant; however, when the economy in Jefferson County began to decline in 2009, more and more families knocked on the church doors asking for help. The doors were opened to all who knocked, but the handwriting was clear — the task of feeding the hungry required much more time, money, and attention than the Director of Senior Services could provide. The need for accurate documentation, electronic data collection and storage, and a structured program was evident. A call to the congregation was issued.

In January 2009, the United Women in Faith of Bluff Park United Methodist Church, with open hearts and minds, assumed full-time responsibility for the organization and operation of a structured, ongoing food program open to individuals requesting assistance. Our mission then and still is “With utmost humility and respect, nourish the body and mind of all seeking help.”

As the ministry continued to grow, we discovered a need for diapers. Babies need 8-10 diapers a day, which can cost more than $100 each month. Disposable diapers are not covered by any government program such as SNAP or WIC. This can place a huge burden on families with young children who are struggling financially. In 2015 we partnered with Bundles of Hope to provide diapers to the families we serve through the pantry.

As the needs of our community change, we adapt and serve in faith.

In 2015 we began partnering with Bundles of Hope to provide diapers to the families we serve through our food pantry. Babies need 8-10 diapers a day, which can cost more than $100 each month. Disposable diapers are not covered by any government program such as SNAP or WIC. This can place a huge burden on families with young children who are struggling financially. Our partnership with Bundles of Hope allows us to alleviate some of this financial burden for families in our community!

Under the Bridge is a ministry that provides a hot meal for homeless men and women in downtown Birmingham on the second and third Tuesday evenings of each month. Meal preparation is done in the church kitchen by team members. The meal is then transported to Church of the Reconciler United Methodist Church in downtown Birmingham where team members serve the meal.

Each Thursday morning from 9:00-11:30am this group works to design, piece, quilt, and bind comfort quilts to deliver to First Light—a women’s and children’s homeless shelter located in downtown Birmingham. The Thursday Morning Quilters give 5 quilts each month to this ministry partner.
The Quilters have lots of fun and tell lots of stories while they work. Their fearless leader, Barbara Hollifield, is always ready to help and offer suggestions.

The Thursday Morning Quilters need volunteers with a giving heart, not necessarily those with lots of experience. So, whether you are an experienced quilter or sewer, or not, consider joining them on Thursday and see what they are doing—and how you can help!

For more information contact Barbara Hollifield at 817-807-3936 or Judi Mitchell at 828-279-7064.

Each day, we know that there are students in our community who go without their basic needs being met. This often affects their school performance and can have a lifelong impact.

My child needs help!

The resources supplied through the Room 35226+ program are distributed at our community public schools. We have established resource rooms at Simmons Middle School, Dupuy Birmingham City School, and Little Imaginations preschool. If your child is a student at any of these schools, they can access the resources during school hours. Contact the school counselor for more information. As this ministry grows we will establish resource rooms at other schools and update this page.

What is Room 35226+

Each day, we know that there are students in our community who go without their basic needs being met. This often affects their school performance. They may be skipping meals over the weekend because there is not enough food in the kitchen at home. They might not have the school supplies they need for class. Or, it could just be that a student forgot to put on deodorant before leaving home. Whatever the case, Hoover is too caring a community to leave these student’s needs unmet. Many of us strive to help on a case-by-case basis. But what if we could do even more?

Room 35226+ is part of our student ministry’s response to meeting these needs. Our vision is to have a room at every school in the 35226 zip code stocked with school supplies, toiletries, and food. Students and guidance counselors will have access to them throughout the day, for any needs that may arise. The first room was established at Simmons Middle School and we expanded to Dupuy Birmingham City School.

You can help make Room 35226+ a reality by gifting items from the list found at the bottom of this page, provided to us by guidance counselors and administrators at the schools.

How can I help the children in our community?

Click HERE to make a monetary donation online. Donations by check should be made out to BPUMC with a note at the bottom indicating “for Room 35226+.”

You can drop off donated items at the Bluff Park UMC church office Mon-Fri from 8:00am-4:00pm. There is a dedicated drop-off area on the 1st floor near the elevator tower. A list of items you can donate is available here: bluffparkumc.org/35226-supply-list

If you have questions or need to make special arrangements for your donation, contact our student ministry.

Bluff Park UMC and Meals on Wheels help ensure a hot meal daily to individuals in the Bluff Park Community by delivering to their homes.

Our volunteer drivers deliver hot meals to people 3 Mondays a month and every Wednesday The number of meals delivered varies from 12 people to 4 people, adapting to the current needs.

Meals are picked up at the church usually around 10:45-11:00am with all the necessary information and a hot/cold bag that is returned after all the visits.

How can you get involved and help? Contact Otis Bibb (otisbibb@bellsouth.net) or Brenda Atkins (205-822-0910) for more information.

Church of the Reconciler is a diverse downtown Birmingham church made up of people who are seeking to alleviate poverty and build a true sense of community that transcends economic and other social barriers. We are a United Methodist mission church supported by the North Alabama Conference of United Methodists and other partner churches and organizations.

Ways to Help in Community

Sunday Worship 9:30 a.m.
Build relationships through worship, prayer, and fellowship. Email us for interest in providing the 11:00 fellowship meal.

Office Support | Mon-Thurs | 9am-2pm
We provide a free mailing address to anyone who needs it. Choose any of our operating hours to help greet the community and deliver the mail.

Dinner & Bible Study | Tues. | 4:30 pm
Share a meal & conversational Bible study were we talk about faith, questions, & wisdom.

Assistance Appointments | Mon. & Thurs. | 10a-1p
Community on the Rise helps replace identity documents that are required for employment & housing. New volunteers can learn intake & assistance by shadowing the director or experienced volunteers.

Prayer Circle | Mon & Wed. | 10 am
We pray together in welcoming and creating ways led by one of our pastors. Everyone is welcome to listen and share as each person feels led.

Community Table Tuesdays | 10 am
Guided conversation to help with self-care & connection to others. Come to share and to learn.

Maker-Day | Tuesdays | 11:30am-1:00pm
Help make jewelry & other goods from plastics recycled in our own workshop!

Women’s Group | Thursdays | 10-11am
Devotion, conversation, & finding strength as women in all life circumstances.