HOPKINS, S.C. — The pastor of New Light Beulah Baptist Church is doing more than just spreading the word of God. Dr. Malcolm Taylor is also making sure people in his community and surrounding areas have access to free food and drinks.
"It's a blessing to do for one another and let others know that there some free food you can get," Evangeline Tucker of Hopkins said.
"During the pandemic, Pastor Taylor has been so giving," said Wanda Bostic of Columbia. "His church has always been reaching out to the community to offer anything they have been blessed with."
"I receive donations all time from many companies across the U.S. willing to donate to the ministry I have," Pastor Taylor said. "I've always gotten phone calls about potatoes, fruits, or vegetables. Last week, they called me and said they would like to donate some truckloads of potatoes if you would take them."
Recently, Pastor Taylor received 125,000 pounds of potatoes. He said he donated them to the town of Eastover and Hopkins. Sunday morning, the Hopkins pastor was donating 12 pallets of free soda to the community.
"He made sure each person in this community was aware he received these large donations, and he was willing to give them out," Bostic said.
"The church should be a place where you receive hope and be built back up," said Taylor. "We shouldn't be a place to take from folks but to also give to people."
Unfortunately, mother nature had other plans for the potatoes. They're starting to rot due to the extreme heat. Eastover's mayor, Phillip Gunter, declined an in-person interview with News19. However, he did say they expect to clean the potatoes up Monday morning.