Those waiting for bags of free groceries at the House of Bread, a Saturday morning food give-away held several times a year by Liberty Church near Westminster, nearly filled the church's spacious worship hall.

In sheer numbers, the turnout surpassed by three- or four-fold the church's congregation of about 50. Nearly an hour before the grocery distribution got under way at 10 a.m. on Nov. 15, the church's lot was full and parked cars were strung out along nearby Old Westminster Road.

"We've never had a turnout like this; it's twice the number of people we normally have," said the Rev. Joe Ready, long-time pastor of Liberty Church, just before noon as the groceries began to run out.

Ready later estimated that about 170 people showed up to claim two bags of groceries each for their families.

"This has never happened before," added Rev. Joe -- as his parishioners call him.

Liberty has been organizing its House of Bread food drives for the past four or five years.

"This is a sign of the times. It's a snapshot of what's happening at food kitchens all around the county," he said.

More than 20 church members turned out to sort and distribute food items, which included everything from bread, cereal and cake mix to napkins, paper towels and 10-pound cans of vegetables. The volunteers said people began arriving to get a good spot in line nearly two hours before the food distribution began.

Those who waited looked no different than people one might see at a mall or grocery store. But random interviews provided a snapshot of the growing segment of Carroll's population that is slipping through the cracks in a weakening economy.

Some said they are on fixed incomes; some are disabled, under-employed or unemployed.

"This is a safety net for me," said Rita Brown, of Westminster, who said she's raising a 9-year-old son on a fixed and limited income. "This is a way to make ends meet."

Richard Entrekin, 63, of Finksburg, is a former teacher and newspaper deliveryman who has been disabled with diabetes and other ailments for three years.

"My wife and I are both on disability," Entrekin said as he waited for his two bags of groceries. "We could probably make it without this if we had to, but we really don't have enough to live on."

Joel Barnhart, 42, a Taneytown resident who installs cabinets, was waiting in line with his friend Kelly Bowers, who is unemployed.

"With work slow and prices so high, we're relying on this to get us through," Barnhart said.

Church member Janice Airey, one of the principal organizers of the grocery distribution, said Liberty works with the county's other soup kitchens and food pantries, but House of Bread is the church's very own project.

Several times a year, congregation members dip into their wallets and their pantries to provide donations.

They also rely on the generosity of area grocery stores and similar companies, which also make substantial donations.

"We just want to reach out to the community and touch people's lives," the Rev. Ready explained as he divided his time between helping sort and bag groceries and offering words of encouragement and fellowship to everyone.

"This is hard for some of these people," Ready added. "They are embarrassed to be here, even though it's not their fault. Our goal is to treat them with honor; to honor them as our guests."

Nancy Wilburn, of Finksburg, who was waiting for groceries, said she was touched by Liberty Church's spirit and mission of generosity.

"I have cataracts, but I don't have insurance and can't afford to have them removed, which is really scary," Wilburn said. "Thank God there are people like this who really do care."

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