For months area residents have observed a heartwarming site on Wednesday mornings, specifically students from Liberty Christian Academy walking across the North Elm Street bridge over Interstate 70 to perform work at the Wright City Food Pantry.

The idea behind the volunteer work at the food pantry came from Liberty Christian Administrator Doug Smith who said he reached out to Pastor Joe Purl who runs the food pantry for ideas about how students could help the community.

“When I took over here, we did a great job of instructing the Bible, one thing I felt like we weren’t doing was serving others as we are called to do,” Smith said.

Smith said he and Purl brainstormed a number of ways to help the community and weekly trips to serve the food pantry was a way that students could live out the teachings of the Bible.

Smith said the program started in the fall of 2024 and students go to the food pantry every Wednesday during the school year in the mornings, to help the food pantry  distribute food later in the day.

Smith said he thinks the program has been a fantastic success.

“I think it gives our students a sense of Biblical purpose,” he said.

Smith said every student in the 4th through 12th grades, some 129 students, have participated in the outreach program.

He said the program is so popular with students that some beg to go back for the opportunity to serve.

Smith said students have connected with the staff of the food pantry.

Smith said each Wednesday the group who participates varies based upon the calendar and class schedule. He said sometimes it might be a class, while other times it might be an athletic team or members of the Student Council.

Smith said in addition to the work at the food pantry, students work with the residents at the Oak Pointe Assisted Living facility in Warrenton.

He said his goal is to provide students a spiritual and service opportunity.

Liberty Christian middle school teacher and high school Bible teacher Katelyn Ross said the program gives students the opportunity to stop and think about others.

“They have servant’s hearts,” she said. “When we get over there you get to see kids in a new light.”

Ross said teachers rotate who gets to bring students over to the food pantry. She said generally approximately 10 to 20 students go over at any one time and they help in a variety of ways such as stocking shelves, checking produce, checking dates, organizing food items and helping with the heavy lifting at the facility.

Ross said that the students love the program so much that some want to go and do it every week.

“It has really blessed our school to have the opportunity to have an outreach for others,” she said.

Sophomore Asher Lyons, 16, said he has gone over to the food pantry five times and that while he was there he primarily helped sort items and helped with the lifting of crates and heavier items. Lyons said he got a good feeling being able to help people and living for Jesus.

Junior Mallory Boenker, 17, said she has also been over to the food pantry five times and participated in stocking shelves and bagging items. Boenker said she felt it was a good opportunity to help others.

“I think it is fun when you are working as a team,” she said.

Eighth grader Anthony Nelsen, 14, said he has participated in the work at the food pantry. He said he got to bag rice, potatoes and stock shelves. Nelsen said he really enjoys helping people and has enjoyed every opportunity he has had to work at the pantry. Nelsen said the hardest part of the job was checking food packages for expiration dates.

Wright City Food Pantry Director of Operations Alice Windmann praised the work of the students at the food pantry. She said that their help has been very important to allowing the pantry to serve their ever-growing client base in the region.