SHAMOKIN, Pa. — For the past 18 years, Pastor James Bowers and his wife have helped people get by in the Shamokin area. He has helped nearly 125 people a week thanks to his nonprofit called God's Chuckwagon.
"We did a mobile soup kitchen. We went out and fed the hungry three or four days a week. We also handed out hats, gloves, scarves, and blankets in the wintertime. We also handed out personal hygiene products," said Bowers, the pastor at Shamokin Water and Spirit Church in Coal Township.
Bowers says he can no longer keep the chuckwagon going.
"There's a lot of things. First off, donations are down, plus health issues with both my wife and I."
Pastor Bowers says as the need for help grew, his supplies and resources shrank.
"We were working off of donations. Up until the pandemic came, we were doing 16 towns a week, and after the pandemic, we started doing only three towns a week."
His upcoming surgery will sideline him for more than 13 weeks. Because of this, Shamokin Water and Spirit Church is also closing for good.
"It is all God's plan. We will figure out what is next. Who knows? In a year or two, after our health goes back up, we might start back up again. You never know."
The pastor would like to see someone fill his shoes.
"I hope somebody steps in and starts feeding the people where we left off."
Pastor Bowers says his church in Coal Township is now up for sale.
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