Stainless Ministries Outreach

Stainless Ministries was founded in 2005 by Bob “Pappy” Shehan. Bob retired from the Department of Corrections after 32 years of service and was looking for an avenue to serve God in his retirement years. Bob would drive to Hendersonville, NC to pick up a truck load of vegetables and bring them back into Rutherford County to give away. Bob brought in an estimated fifty thousand pounds of food over the next 5 years, feeding over ten thousand and five hundred people. In 2010 Bob’s youngest son Brad Shehan took over as the Executive Director and named the ministry “Stainless Ministries.”

Brad took the operation from the side of the road to inside the Abundant Life Church located in the Grahamtown community (most impoverished community with Forest City) where an astounding 22,000 bushel or 1.32 million pounds of food was distributed that year. Stainless distributed 12,000 bushel or 720,000 pounds of food in 2011.

In 2012, before we started our distribution process, we moved into the Old Dunbar Community Center, still within the Grahamtown community. Stainless Ministries was allowed to build a walk-in cooler within the facility and we went from 200 square feet of work space to a 1200 square foot facility. In 2012 we had our largest year so far, 1.75 million pounds or 29,000 bushel of food was distributed. In 2012 we established a Thrift Store to meet the financial needs that we suffered from. We normally had to turn food away due to lack of funds to go get it. We used our personal trucks and trailers to haul the food in and we usually lost up to 13% of the food to exposure to heat.

Four Square Church donated a 2000 Chevrolet box truck in 2012. Late in the 2012 calendar year Brad had a health scare and about the same time the Old Dunbar Community Center decided that they could no longer host Stainless Ministries at their site. This forced Stainless Ministries to pull back and re-focus. In 2013 Brad had come through his health situation with flying colors and decided to re-open Stainless Ministries, but this time in a different location. Stainless had acquired a 5500 square foot facility located at 225 West Main Street Spindale, NC 28160. Also in 2013 Stainless Ministries acquired a refrigerated box truck which kept the total food lost to below 1%. Stainless distributed 14,267 bushel or 856,000 pounds of food in 2013.

In 2014 Stainless Ministries distributed 1.6 million pounds or 26,667 bushel of food. Stainless Ministries also provides a diabetic/non-diabetic pantry. You can come in once a month with photo ID and receive 3 meals. Stainless Ministries has additional programs, such as clothing assistance for those who recently were incarcerated. Stainless also helps refurnish homes that have been through a natural disaster at a minimal price.

The most important service that we offer the community is Prayer! We believe in the power of prayer and practice it daily.
GOD LOVES YOU AND WE DO, TOO!