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Church adopts National Guard troop fighting COVID-19, now delivers them meals

Instead the troop gets home-cooked meals. The church fulfills its duty to serve those who serve too.

WOODSTOCK, Ga. — For 13 years, Vida City Church has been home to a multicultural congregation near downtown Woodstock. Pastor David and Nancy Zayas say they live to serve.

Recently, as their doors all but closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping across the land, they have found a new way to reach the community.

"We feel a calling just to work with our community," Pastor Zayas said. "We want to just love on them and be instruments for God in any way we can."

Late last month, the Zayas' learned about Bravo Troop 1-108 of the Georgia National Guard. 

The troop is stationed in Canton. For weeks, the work of the troop has been focused on COVID-19. Every day, their teams have sterilized seniors facilities across five counties.

"None of us have done anything like this," said Capt. David Rice. "Noen of us have seen anything like this in our lifetime."

"The National Guard is in our community and they're working," Nancy Zayas said. "As a church, [we felt] we should do something to help them."

Now, three times a week, a group from Vida City cooks and packs dinners for the troop one town over.

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"If the guys have to go out after they serve the community and have to fend for themselves, that's money out of their personal finance budget," Nancy said. "We have an assembly line that will package [the food] into the white foam containers. We have a little message on the containers."

That message? "Thank you for your service."

"The eating ware, the plates, even the salad dressing -- everything's prepared, and we just have to come pick it up," Capt. Rice said. 

And the food? 

"Oh, it's outstanding!" he said.

"This is a way for us to tell these men and women that we're thankful for what they're doing," Nancy said. "And if we can help them, then that's what we're gonna do, because I believe that's what God has called the church to do."

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