LANCASTER TWP — The parking lot of a small country church along Perry Highway overflowed with cars, adults, teenagers and a former Pittsburgh Steelers player Saturday as several religious and secular groups brought, sorted and shelved more than 12 pickup truckloads of nonperishable food for the needy.

Jocelyn Christensen, communications director for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Pittsburgh North stake, explained the church partnered with 13 groups a month ago in an effort to collect funds and nonperishable foods for the Southwest Butler County Food Cupboard, which is located at Zion Lutheran Church on Perry Highway.

Also involved in the partnership are eight area churches, wards and branches from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“We adopted the food cupboard because their donations were down over COVID,” Christensen said.

Each group or church in the partnership was tasked with gathering certain nonperishable foods so when all the items collected was delivered, the food cupboard would have a little of everything to put on their shelves.

For example, Sunset Rotary of Cranberry Township’s collection theme was “baking pies,” the Muslim Association of Greater Pittsburgh got “Soup, crackers and dessert,” and Congregation B’nai Abraham in Butler collected “Tuna and peanut butter.”

Christensen said the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints called the food drop-off, sorting and shelving carried out on Saturday the Food Drive Potluck.

“If you can imagine each of these groups bringing a dish to a potluck,” she said of the table after table stacked with boxes of foods in the parking lot.

Adults from the various groups and teenagers with their adult overseers from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sorted the food, checked expiration dates and stocked it on the shelves in the food cupboard.

“This is kind of the grand finale,” Christensen said of her church’s community collaboration program. “We are doing it to light the world with acts of service.”

Also attending the event was Chris Hoke, who spent 11 years as a defensive lineman for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Hoke is the president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ North Pittsburgh stake, and presented a $15,000 check to Erin Makowski, food cupboard director.

Hoke made the rounds at the tables of food, shaking hands with teens and adults and thanking them for their work.

“If we can come together with people of our faith and not of our faith, we can serve others in need,” he said of the community collaboration. “Coming together for one purpose, to serve others, especially at this time of year when everyone is focused on goodwill, is awesome.”

He said his church wants to “stand at the forefront of helping others, loving others and caring for others.”

Makowski said donations to the food cupboard are down, which she attributes to the increased cost of food.

She has 117 clients who receive food for themselves and their families.

“Every month we empty our shelves,” Makowski said of distributions. “I won’t have to order food this month and maybe next month.”

She was especially thrilled to see so many young people pitching in.

“It is fabulous to see the youth do this for their classmates and neighbors (who receive food,)” Makowski said. “It’s what life is all about.”

Leena Aboosally, of the Muslim Association of Greater Pittsburgh, said the happy gathering of people of all ages, races and beliefs proves people are just people.

Aboosally was happy to help carry and sort the soup, crackers and desserts her group brought for the food cupboard.

“We should be helping feed the community,” she said. “If we can eat, everyone should be able to eat.”

Annabelle Witt, 13, of Butler Township, and other young people on Saturday helped spruce up the Zion Lutheran Church cemetery as part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints project known as “BillionGraves.”

She seemed to clearly understand the purpose of the project to gather food for the food cupboard.

“It’s important because if we all work together, we can make a difference,” Annabelle said.

Heidi Fanagduy, 17, also of Butler Township, enjoyed seeing everyone from all the groups involved in the event on Saturday.

“We get to meet new people and get to know them,” Heidi said.

Joshua Critchlow, 17, also understood the assignment.

“I think it’s great to gather together for this because there are a lot of people in need and it’s important to help them,” Joshua said.

Will Eberle, a longtime member of the local Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said the event at Zion Lutheran on Saturday was wonderful.

“We need to celebrate more things that bring us together than separate us,” Eberle said. “We all have differences, but we all have a common good.”

He surveyed the mountains of food being sorted and carried into the food cupboard warehouse on Saturday.

“I think they’ll have plenty in the food cupboard to pass out,” Eberle said.