It was all about saying “thank you” on Friday night as volunteers from the Beyond the Walls Food Pantry in Fruitland Park enjoyed a special night out together.

Volunteers from the Beyond the Walls Food Pantry in Fruitland Park enjoyed a special ‘thank you’ dinner on Friday night that was hosted by Village of Pine Hills residents Mary Ann Mobilian and her husband, John, who serves as a Fruitland Park commissioner.

The gathering was hosted by Mary Ann Mobilian and her husband, John, who serves as a Fruitland Park commissioner, at their Village of Pine Hills home. Volunteers themselves, Mary Ann said she learned about the food pantry, a ministry of Heritage Community Church, at a time when its shelves were bare – and she knew something had to be done.

Mary Ann said she visited the facility, located at 609 W Berckman St., at the end of the summer and saw empty shelves. She said a longtime volunteer told her they had prayed for food deliveries that morning and before long, there were two knocks on the door and enough donations were dropped off so they could open the doors.

Fruitland Park Commissioner John Mobilian and his wife, Mary Ann, said they hosted Friday night’s party at their Village of Pine Hills home to show their true appreciation for the many volunteers who give countless hours of their time to the Beyond the Walls Food Pantry, which is located at 609 W Berckman St. and is a ministry of Heritage Community Church.
Friday night’s appreciation event for Beyond the Walls Food Pantry volunteers included a variety of Italian dishes personally prepared by Fruitland Park Commissioner John Mobilian.

“She’s telling me this story and she’s got tears in her eyes,” Mary Ann said. “And I’m thinking, if you’ve been doing this that long and you have such a heart that you’re tearing up telling me that you didn’t think you could open up the doors because you didn’t have enough food, there’s something pretty special about this place.”

Once Mary Ann and John got involved with the pantry, she said her initial feelings were proven to be right on target.

“Their hearts really are in it,” she said. “These guys do a lot of work.”

Beyond the Walls Food Pantry volunteers enjoyed a variety of tasty desserts at an appreciation party on Friday night, including ‘Grandma’s Italian Cookies,’ which were baked personally by Fruitland Park Commissioner John Mobilian in honor of his grandmother’s special recipe.

John, who personally cooked several Italian dishes and desserts for the party – including his grandmother’s special Italian chocolate cookies – agreed.

“It’s for a great cause,” he said. “Mary Ann has been very involved with raising money to keep the food bank alive and getting the needed food. And they really do a nice job there.”

Colleen Brooks, who serves as director of the Beyond the Walls Food Pantry, said she considers it an honor to serve alongside the organization’s many volunteers, some of whom have been there more than 25 years.

Mary Ann added that she was shocked to learn that about 70 percent of the people who are clients at Beyond the Walls are elderly.

“It’s not just Fruitland Park elderly, either,” she said. “They don’t turn anybody away if they need something.”

Colleen Brooks, who serves as the food pantry’s director, said she was very thankful for Friday night’s event and thrilled to see her volunteers having such a great time.

“I find it a privilege to walk along beside them and to watch them serve,” she said. “They have such serving hearts.”

Brooks said she also enjoys seeing the interactions between her volunteers and the roughly 500 families they serve every month.

Volunteer Judy Young says she serves at the Beyond the Walls Food Pantry because it’s important to be available for people in their times of need.

“They give the community hope and love all the people that come in,” she said. “People don’t come to Beyond the Walls just for food. They come for community. They come for friendship and to learn about Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. A lot of them, they just come and have coffee, get a hug and hang out with us in the mornings.”

Volunteer Judy Young said it’s important to her to be there for people in their times of need.

“We encourage them and let them know that God loves them,” she said. “I’m His hand, His feet and His mouthpiece to love on them when they need it.”

Pastor Sidney Brock offered plenty of praise for all of the food bank’s volunteers, saying the entire operation continues to get better and better.

“What makes Beyond the Walls successful is the cooperation from the community,” he said. “We’ve got great people serving there, which is phenomenal.”

Pastor Sidney Brock, of Heritage Community Church, said Friday night’s dinner for the church’s Beyond the Walls Food Pantry volunteers goes a long in showing how much they are appreciated.
Fruitland Park Mayor Chris Cheshire and his nine-year-old daughter, Maeve, attended Friday night’s appreciation dinner for Beyond the Walls Food Pantry volunteers. Cheshire said the volunteers’ efforts at the pantry are an excellent example of the entire community coming together for a good cause.

Brock added that an event like the one hosted by the Mobilians goes a long way with the volunteers in showing them just how much they are appreciated.

“They serve people that are struggling and may never get a lot of those attaboys,” he said. “But this is a great encouragement to those volunteers. Some of the them have been working at Beyond the Walls for years and years.”

Fruitland Park Mayor Chris Cheshire, who attended the gathering with his 9-year-old daughter, Maeve, said he’s thrilled to see Villagers like the Mobilians and their neighbors working alongside residents in the old section of the city to make the food pantry – and other entities in the city – such successes.

“You have the community coming together,” he said. “And it’s not just the food bank. We’ve got volunteers going to the library, the school and all over the city now, which we didn’t have before.”

To learn more about Heritage Community Church’s Beyond the Walls Food Pantry, call (352) 365-2552.

Fruitland Park Commissioner John Mobilian entertained volunteers from the Beyond the Walls Food Pantry on Friday night during an appreciation dinner that was put on by him and his wife, Mary Ann.