A church in Latta, South Carolina, is offering to pay for gas for residents who have to travel farther to buy groceries after the town lost its only supermarket.
Here's what to know
With local food shopping no longer available in town, New Hope Missionary Baptist Church is trying to ease one of the immediate costs residents face: the fuel needed to reach stores in nearby communities.
After Latta's IGA closed, residents began looking outside town for groceries, including in Dillon and other nearby areas, according to WPDE. To help with those added trips, New Hope Missionary Baptist Church is planning a "Gas on God" event for people who need assistance.
The church said the event will take place at the Exxon station in downtown Latta, where volunteers will also be available to help community members and connect them with additional resources.
When a community loses its only grocery store, the effects reach far beyond mere inconvenience. Families can end up spending more on fuel, carving out more time for shopping trips, and making harder decisions about when and how often they can buy essentials. Rural grocery closures can reshape daily life almost overnight.
That burden can fall especially hard on older adults, people living on fixed incomes, and anyone without reliable transportation. A longer drive for groceries can quickly become another cost-of-living strain.
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More background
The loss of easy access to groceries can make fresh food harder to access and raise the total cost of feeding a household, especially when every mile matters. Even residents who can make the drive may feel the pressure if they are already navigating tight budgets.
What's being done?
The church's response is direct aid. Covering fuel costs will not replace a grocery store, but it can ease the strain for residents who suddenly have to travel farther just to buy food.
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For the Rev. Lamar Richardson, pastor of New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, the effort is about meeting people where they are.
"We definitely believe that God is going to impact the city and the town and grow exponentially. The thing is, you can't be a church and be stuck. But as we preach today, we need revival not only in LA, but in the church, in our families. We need to do this. It's all about show the love and hope of God," Richardson said, per WPDE.
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