One local church pastor is using the current social distancing guidelines and his passion for running to help local food banks in need.

Matthew Rosebrock is the pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Lindenwood and has also been an avid runner for almost 20 years. He was looking for a way to help raise awareness for his church’s food bank, as well as other local food banks in the area. 

Running is something he loves to do, so he decided to use his passion to help bring awareness and raise funds. He started a GoFundMe page titled “19 miles of social distancing for families”, the 19 miles being inspired by COVID-19. The initial goal of $1,000 was met in the first 24 hours and the support continues to exceed all expectations. 

“The initial goal was to raise $1,000 for the food bank at our church and we have already surpassed that goal at $1,185,” said Rosebrock. “Since we have already passed our goal, anything we collect from here on out, will go to other local food banks.”

Rosebrock will begin his run on May 3 at 1 p.m., from his home in Oregon and will run 19 miles, mainly through country roads, to the church in Lindenwood. He will then do a small loop to meet his goal of 19 miles. Along the way, Rosebrock will be posting photos and updates for people to follow along through the church’s Facebook page or website at http://immanuel-lindenwood.org/index.html. 

During these tough times, many food banks throughout the country can use all the help they can get, and this is Rosebrock’s way of giving back. For anybody who would like to contribute, they can do so through the GoFundMe page at https://www.gofundme.com/f/19-miles-of-social-distancing. 

The best way to help a food bank is through monetary donations, every $1 donated can be used to purchase $8 worth of food for families. While this fundraiser aims to help local food banks in need, Rosebrock says his inspiration comes from the love receives through Christ and spreading that love during the Easter holiday.

“For me, the motivation behind this is the love that has been shown to us in Christ, especially as we focus on this holy week,” said Rosebrock. “Because his love is for the world, we love others and seek ways to share his love.”