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Love Livingston: A Community United in Compassion

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With winter weather sweeping in, the question weighed heavily on our hearts: how would our community stay warm? The few homeless individuals in our area, along with others who lack adequate heating sources, were at risk as temperatures plummeted. Initially, The Movement Church, The Bridge Community Church, and The Daily Struggle 931 considered partnering with Cookeville Community Cares to provide support. However, after meeting with Blair Dudley, who leads that initiative, we discovered their resources were stretched thin, and they were overwhelmed. Blair encouraged us to establish a resource right here in Livingston.

Six hours later, the doors to our warming resource center opened in the old service transport building at 430 Hilham Hwy. What began as a simple effort to gather and distribute spare space heaters quickly evolved into something much greater. A few snacks and loaves of bread were donated, and we began asking recipients if they needed food. What we uncovered was heartbreaking: many in our community were not just cold—they were hungry and struggling in ways that were humbling to witness.

Determined to do more, we put out a call to action to the Livingston community. By Tuesday night, donations began to pour in: heaters, blankets, firewood, jackets, and food. Yet, despite these generous contributions, by the end of the night, most supplies were gone. So, we called again—and the response was remarkable.

By Wednesday, Jan. 8, the effort had grown into a full-fledged food distribution center, stocked with hundreds of pounds of deer meat and enough supplies to feed hundreds of families. That evening, instead of holding a traditional church service, we decided to be the church. Volunteers transformed an empty warehouse into a streamlined assembly line, ready to meet the overwhelming need.

On Thursday, Jan. 9 word had spread. When we arrived an hour early to set up, the parking lot was already full of families in need of food and warming supplies. Over the next five hours, we served hundreds of households. The sheer volume of need was staggering, but so was the community’s response. Partner churches and volunteers rallied in minutes to help. It was a testament to the power of people united in love and service.

This morning, Friday, Jan. 10, while the snow blankets our town, we are in the process of giving out everything we have left. As I type this, I can’t help but wonder: How many of our neighbors are still cold and hungry? How many children will go to bed tonight shivering and without a meal? And most importantly, what more can we do as a community to ensure no one is left behind?

This experience has reminded us of what makes small-town Tennessee so special: our ability to care for one another. But it’s also a wake-up call. We’ve lost some of the values that bind us together: caring for our neighbors, setting aside our differences, and focusing on the biblical principles of love, bearing one another’s burdens, and lifting each other up to a better life.

We hope this story inspires others to act. Let’s come together as a community to reignite what makes Livingston great. Together, we can make a difference. Together, we can embody what it means to Love Livingston.

931-261-9302

www.themvmnt.church