Hunger continues to be a pressing issue for many people across the Mahoning Valley.  For the past eight years, one local church has been doing their part to fill the need.

At Churchill United Methodist Church, their food pantry is more than just a place to pick up groceries and toiletries. It's where community meet compassion and faith.

Volunteers like Bob Catchpole are making sure of it.

"God requires of us to do justice, to love kindness and walk humbly with our God and that is what we're doing here. Everybody needs food and that is justice," Catchpole said. 

As a member of the church, Catchpole has been helping people fill up their carts since the food pantry opened, eight years ago. He told 21 News that their mission goes beyond food, it's about spreading hope and love through Christ.

"Our mission statement is to share the love of Christ and feeding people is part of that and we saw the need and went for it," Catchpole said.

Among the list of volunteers is seventh grader Nolan Sefcik. For the past few years, on the first Friday of every month, he has proven that offering compassion and support knows no age.  

"My parents have been raising me to help people out in the community," Sefcik said. 

His favorite part about volunteering is knowing that he helps people when they need it the most. 

Each month, the pantry sees about 70 families. The food pantry church is where food is collected and stories are shared. Visitors like Barbara Hamad believe the pantry and its volunteers, like Bob and Nolan, are a lifeline.

"At the end of the month your money is running out and [the pantry] really helps," Hamad said. 

Catchpole said the conversations they have with visitors are just as important as the food they hand out.