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By Bill Pogue
November 5, 2010 (Lemon Grove) --On October 29, Mt. Miguel’s winning football team (7 and 1 this season) tackled a new task—giving out 41,000 pounds of food to hungry people at the Lemon Grove. Lutheran Church The players, including Pastor Ula Tausaga’s son Smith, were some 50 strong and strode in as a vigorous phalanx, clad in red "Matador" jerseys. The team distributed food as the line of recipients moved past, offering encouraging words and flashing winning smiles.
“This is about helping others; it is not about you today,” Coach Tom Karlo told his team, then supervised and helped his players distribute food to the needy. The food drive was supported by the Samoan Independent Full Gospel Church, the Lemon Grove Lutheran Church, Feeding America, the Food Bank, and Albertson’s super stores.
Trucks arrived at 7 am along with church volunteers, and a few others. Food was unloaded from large pallets. The volunteers bagged different foods from 7 to 9 a.m., when the long line of recipients began to file past. Canned goods, beverages, vegetables, fruits, watermelons, pita bread and hot dog buns, and other items filled hand carts which almost everyone had.
A large smile was on the face of the Pastor's son, Jacob, age 7. He perched on top of a huge carton of watermelons, like a quarterback, deftly tossing them to the football players to distribute.
“This was the first public service project of the Mt. Miguel football team this year,” said Matt Flury, linebacker. He urged some of the patrons to “please come and watch our winning football team.”
The Samoan Independent Full Gospel Church, under Pastor Tausaga, does this food give away on the last Friday of each month, and any county resident may seek free food. In November, the church members will hand out the food on Monday the 22nd, because that is during Thanksgiving week. In addition, free food distribution to Lemon Grove residents occurs on the first Friday of each month at the Lemon Grove Lutheran Church, 2055 Skyline Drive in Lemon Grove.
The Samoan Independent Full Gospel Church rents space for its services within the walls of the Lemon Grove Lutheran Church. Originally, the Samoan Gospel services, in National City, were in the Samoan language. Now, in Lemon Grove, there are so many different ethnic groups attending services that Samoan Pastor Tausaga delivers them in English. Mai, his wife and mother of six strapping boys, said that they expect over 500 families, and perhaps as many as 5,000 individuals.
Each food recipient was asked to sign in before collecting the food. She expects many more people this year; there were more last year than in the previous six years. Mai also keeps a pantry in the church for people with emergencies.
The line continued until the food ran out.
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