‘Care Cupboard’ debuts in downtown Yukon

First United Methodist Church, located at 400 Elm Ave., launched its new ministry, “Care Cupboard,” about three months ago.

The free-standing Care Cupboard is located outside on the southwest corner of 4th and Elm Streets, which is also the northeast corner of the church building. Rev. Dr. Kirt Moelling said the small food cupboard, which contains both food and toiletries, has been well-received by those in the area who are hungry.

The cupboard is unlocked and available 24/7. And the cupboard’s sign reads, “Please take what you need to last a day. If your needs are great, come to the church office or call 405-354-8858.”

“Care Cupboard is meant for a person to get enough food to make it through the day,” Moelling said. “If the person needs more food, we can plug them into other resources. We try to include food items that have pop tops, in case people don’t have can openers. And we keep a cooler beneath the cupboard. It contains ice and bottled water. Most people seem to get food at night, though, occasionally, I see someone get food during the day. I’ve noticed that no one cleans it out. People just seem to take what they need. We have a couple who has been in and out of homelessness. Sometimes they take food. But when they are not homeless, they put food into the cupboard.”

Senior pastor at FUMC for just over two years, Moelling is especially concerned about the homeless population in the Yukon area, along Route 66 and I-40, and the need for resources.

One Christmas Eve, he received an out-of-state phone call.

A woman told Moelling that her brother was homeless in Yukon and was at a certain location. Moelling and his wife picked up the man.

“In the last six months, I’ve seen a lot of homelessness. It’s prevalent here. We don’t have certain resources here in Yukon, such as a place for homeless people to stay. On occasion, our church has put homeless people up in hotels. But our church resources for that are gone. The homeless problem is more than we can handle as one church,” Moelling said.

FUMC works alongside Manna Pantry, Yukon Sharing and Compassionate Hands. And Moelling keeps pace with the Ministerial Alliance.

“I’m thrilled that Manna Pantry is moving to a great facility and will be part of a one-stop-shop for numerous needs. It will be located on the Trinity Baptist Church campus. But Manna Pantry serves a lot of people. And I’m concerned that it is leaving this part of Yukon, and the needed transportation for people in this part of town to get to the new location,” Moelling said.

FUMC was a fully active and vibrant church prior to the pandemic. The church offered both traditional and modern worship services each Sunday, weekly Bible studies and fellowship meals and a variety of groups used the building.

“Before the pandemic, our doors were open most nights for something. Various groups stopped meeting for awhile. But AA is now meeting again back inperson in our facility, as are the Boy Scouts. We do require them to wear masks. And we have a preschool with 100 kids, and it has continued to meet here in the building. But we totally implemented new protocols when the pandemic hit, and I am not aware of one case of transmission of COVID-19 through our preschool,” Moelling said.

“Due to the pandemic, March 15, 2020, we held our last in-person worship service, and we took our services online. Then August 23, 2020, we went back to just one in-person worship with strict protocols. After a few weeks, we went back to two inperson worship services. We’ve taken protocols very seriously, in fact, probably more seriously than most. We took temperatures when people entered the building, we set the sanctuary up for social distancing, and we required masks. May 23, 2021 was the last time we required masks. But we are changing again, due to the Delta Variant and the uptick in COVID-19 cases. At this point, we are just requiring masks again. Overall, since the pandemic began, things have changed. Worship has been impacted. Some people have returned to in-person services. But we still have services online,” Moelling said.

“I want our church to have a caring heart in the community and be here not just for those in our flock, but others, as well. We’re here no matter your generation. You can find a home here whether you like traditional or modern worship. Our doors are always open to everyone, especially if you’ve been burned in church, or church hasn’t worked out well for you. I would love for people to know that whoever you are, you’re welcome here, “Moelling said.

A preacher’s kid, Moelling was born in Oklahoma, and he lived with his family all over the state.

He graduated from Stillwater High School, and then he attended Oklahoma City University. He and his wife have two sons who are in their 20s.

“I’m in my second career. I practiced law for 12 years. Now I’ve been in the ministry for 21 years. This is the fourth church where I’ve served,” Moelling said.

FUMC’s origins in Yukon date back to 1891. By 1893, a building was erected at 4th and Elm Streets. In 1921, a second structure replaced the first.

The basement was home to the high school basketball team. In 1958, yet another new building was constructed at the location, and included a sanctuary, fellowship hall, kitchen and educational facilities.

Additions were made in 1980.