WHITE KNOLL, S.C. (WIS) - Driving down Platt Springs Road in Red Bank, the north side of the road is dotted with buildings in distress.
Some manufactured homes appear either abandoned or overgrown, and blight is easy to spot. The buildings seem to be a sobering indicator of the economic distress facing many in the area.
But across the road, one local church is meeting the needs of the community with compassion and generosity.
"We are in the middle of it," said John Ptak, campus pastor at Radius Church White Knoll. "For a lot of our neighbors and our friends, unfortunately this is just a really hard time for them."
The church operates a food pantry every Thursday from 10 a.m. to noon, but for the past two Thursdays, the church has given away free eggs to anyone in need.
"When you're watching the news, every other news channel, it's about this egg shortage," Ptak noted.
Egg prices have soared in recent weeks, and the supplies in local stores have been scarce.
"We realize a lot of people in our community were going without and we just wanted to meet the need."
Over the past two weeks, the church secured and distributed over 2,000 eggs to nearly 200 neighbors.
Kristi Lambert, a volunteer at Radius Church White Knoll, was seated inside the church taking count of those coming through the door.
"We had a lot of people come through from all walks of life," she said. "A lady just came through and said that her husband had a job recently but just had a stroke."
When asked how it feels to help, she said, "It's amazing and you feel blessed for being able to be able to provide for people that need help for the things that we take for granted."
Notably, anyone who comes in to receive assistance is greeted by friendly faces.
Jim Kendall, a tall slender man wearing an apron, is a whirlwind of activity as he and others gladly assist anyone who enters the food pantry looking for food and necessities.
He grabs cans off the shelves, flips them in the air and whirls around taking orders like a short order cook.
"Here they come in and pick what they want and choose," he said. "We don't require that they show ID, or show that they live in the area. If they have a need, we will provide that to them. We will give them what they want, as much as they want, and we can."
Paul Beaulieu is another volunteer at the food pantry.
"We make sure they're welcomed, and they know that they're wanted and they're just as valuable as the next person."
Those on the receiving end are appreciative of the support.
Kevin Wooten was the last person on the first Thursday of the giveaway to receive a dozen eggs.
"It's nice for them to be here to help the community and everybody around," Wooten said. "God knows we need them."
This church, on this day, looks more like a home, with an open door for anyone needing love.
"We primarily just want to let our 'radius' know that we are here for you," he said. "Whether it's for food, or spiritual guidance, or just a friendly face of someone to talk to ... we provide all of that."
The pastor agrees.
"It's an honor for us to be the hands and feet of Jesus, and love on our neighbors," he said.
Seeing the smiles of the people with their free dozen eggs and a bag of groceries, one thing seems clear.
While there may be a shortage of eggs right now -- at this church -- there is no shortage of love.