A captive Tale: The Northside Church of God Food Drive

A recent visit to the weekly food drive at Northside Church of God, located at 2590 NW. 103rd St., Miami, Florida, revealed a deeply concerning and unprofessional environment. What I encountered was a far cry from the expected spirit of charity and respect.

The food drive’s operations were marked by a lack of professionalism and a disregard for the safety and dignity of those seeking assistance. A volunteer, whose role seemed to be directing traffic, was verbally aggressive and confrontational. While her general demeanor toward everyone was rude—yelling "move up, move up"—her hostility was specifically directed at me when I refused to park an unsafe distance from another vehicle's bumper. She repeatedly used vulgar language at me and used threatening language, including a specific threat to contact ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) without any provocation. This is not only inappropriate but also deeply alarming, especially for an organization operating under the banner of a church, which should be a safe haven for all members of the community.

As a proud native New Yorker, I was particularly insulted by this threat. The volunteer's actions and threat to contact ICE were based on a biased assumption, which is unacceptable and wrong under any circumstance.

Beyond the verbal threats, the logistics of the event itself raised significant safety issues. The aggressive volunteer directed vehicles to park in a dangerous and congested manner, instructing me to move my car so close to another vehicle's bumper that it could have easily caused an accident. This lack of clear, safe directional experience on the part of the volunteer made the situation unnecessarily risky.

The experience at the Northside Church of God food drive was a stark reminder that even charitable organizations must uphold standards of safety, respect, and professionalism. It is unacceptable for anyone seeking assistance to be subjected to intimidation and threats. I urge anyone planning to attend this food drive to be aware of the environment and prioritize their safety. A church should be a place of sanctuary, and the behavior I witnessed on its property was, in my opinion, a complete contradiction of that core value.

A Concluding Thought on Transparency and Safety

When we curate lists of local resources, we consider it our responsibility to provide complete transparency to our readers. This goes beyond just providing addresses and times; it means alerting our community to potential dangers and threats. We believe a church, or any organization offering charity, should be a sanctuary—a safe space that protects everyone, including the most vulnerable. This experience, and the inappropriate use of a threat like calling ICE, is an unacceptable violation of that principle. Our goal is to ensure that every person who seeks help from a food drive or any other service on our list can do so without fear for their safety or dignity.