By Madison Rodgers
In 2015, the First United Methodist Church in Little Rock, Arkansas adopted a program called FANN, or Friends and Neighbors Network. FANN is a food co-op program created for families struggling with food insecurity so that they may receive regular food assistance at a low price. FANN is a member-run organization. Members pay $5 to join and $3 to get a basket of food at each meeting. The $3 goes directly to the community fund and the members ultimately decide how the community fund is distributed. The program runs two times a month: on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of every month and the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of every month. On Tuesdays, the program is geared towards single-family households. On Wednesdays, the program is geared towards families with young children that are still in school.
FANN volunteer unpacking food.
FANN started out of a congregational book study on the book “Toxic Charity: How Churches and Charities Hurt Those They Help (and How to Reverse It)” By Robert D. Lupton. The program aims to build relationships with families rather than something that is merely transactional. The book talked about the idea of food co-opting, which in turn sparked the creation of this program.
FANN volunteer distributing food.
Haley Jones, the Pastor of Community Engagement at First United Methodist Church (FUMC), has seen the program bloom first-hand since she started in 2017. FUMC got involved with the program in 2015. Jones says that one of her favorite parts of the program is “seeing the transformation of people’s leadership…” and that it is “amazing to watch people jump right in and do what they can to help.” She describes FANN as a communal experience and a point of connection. Her hope is that more congregations move to adopt this program. Those interested in volunteering with the program can reach Haley Jones at hjones@FUMCLR.ORG. Congregations interested in learning more about how to implement the principles of FANN in their own food ministries can also contact Haley Jones.