Epworth United Methodist Church will host a golf tournament to raise funds for its busy food ministry program Saturday, Oct. 5, at American Classic Golf Club in Lewes. Teams of four will play nine holes. The cost is $50 per golfer and includes lunch. This year's tournament is sponsored by Schell Brothers.

Epworth is home to three volunteer-run food programs that collect, store and distribute tons of food in the local community. In 2023, its Food Rescue program collected 282,292 pounds of food that, while still in good condition, would have been discarded. Instead, it was used by Epworth’s soup kitchen and food pantry, and shared with other local food pantries and support services.

The Food and Love Soup Kitchen is staffed by five teams of 10-12 volunteers from the congregation and the community at large. It offers hot meals and fellowship on Sunday afternoons. Going into its 13th year, the soup kitchen has only missed one Sunday. Food and Love served more than 5,000 meals in 2023.

Good Sam Mobile Food Pantry provides assembled meals, fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs, frozen meats, desserts, and personal hygiene products to individuals and families three times a week. In 2023, it served more than 11,000 people.

Epworth’s food programs partner with other local support groups and homeless shelters including the Community Resource Center, Beebe Cares, Milton Community Food Pantry, La Esperanza and Pearl Domestic Violence Houses. Regular contributors to Epworth’s food programs include Aldi, Chick-fil-A, Beebe Cares, Food Bank of Delaware, Fifer’s, Giant of Millville and Rehoboth, Historic Lewes Farmers Market, Mountaire, Outback Steakhouse, Panera Bread, Starbucks, Surf Bagel, The Pointe Bakery and Wawa. Many homeowner associations are also regular contributors.

Sponsorship opportunities for the golf tournament are available through Wednesday, July 31. Businesses and individuals interested in details about becoming a hole sponsor or golfers interested in signing up to play may contact David Streit, event co-chair, at 240-688-0816 or david@commoditywx.com.