BESSEMER, Ala. — Before the sun rises over Birmingham, a quiet movement begins at a small facility tucked next to a church. It’s not a business, not a government agency, but a community. Inside, volunteers and staff of all ages and backgrounds begin to trickle in, sorting and packing boxes of food which will soon feed thousands across Alabama.
Grace Klein Community is a nonprofit powered by faith, service, and the belief that no one should go hungry.
Each month, the organization rescues thousands of pounds of food through its FeedBHM initiative, collecting surplus groceries from local stores and restaurants that would otherwise be tossed away. But the heart of the operation isn’t just the food, it’s the people who move it.
“I love the people you meet at Grace Klein,” Grace Milligan, a staff member at Grace Klein Community, said. “Everyone is so supportive, and we are all driven to feed and help people.”
After graduating last spring with a degree in environmental sustainability, Milligan moved from Virginia and began her Grace Klein Community journey as an intern. What started as a daunting transition away from home slowly turned into a place of belonging and support for Milligan.
“I didn’t know anyone when I first came to Birmingham,” Milligan said. “I went from meeting Grace Klein’s founder, Jenny Waltman, through a WhatsApp message, to being invited to a coworker’s wedding. These people have become my best friends in Birmingham.”
Milligan has now worked at Grace Klein Community for nearly a year, living in a Grace Klein Community house and working alongside what she calls “The Jamily,” short for the “Jesus family,” a group of staff and volunteers united by shared faith and mission.
The air inside the facility is constantly filled with laughter and the rhythmic thud of produce being packed. Flowers, loaves of bread, and miscellaneous food moved from crates to delivery carts with impressive efficiency. Every week, Grace Klein Community feeds over 20,000 people and also supports families with diapers and essentials.
Ben Trulove, a Christian ministries student at Samford University and longtime Grace Klein Community staff member, first got involved through Liberty Church’s youth group, where he met the children of founder Jenny Waltman.
Ben describes Grace Klein community as a place where “people have real, authentic relationships with each other and the Lord” and where people are devoted to the Lord both inside and outside of work.
“Jesus and selflessness are the center of Grace Klein,” Trulove said. “There’s no other way I’d rather live.”
-Ben Trulove
What began as a summer internship in 2021 turned into a life calling. The relationships Trulove formed through Grace Klein Community, with the volunteers, staff members, and God, changed his life.
“What I’ve experienced at Grace Klein is a form of beauty I’ve never seen before,” Trulove said, “I get to help people through Christ, which shows me Jesus loves me, and I get to love Him back.”
Even newer volunteers like Sam Hinson, a sophomore at Oak Mountain High School, say it’s the
people who make Grace Klein Community stand out. “Everyone here is just really nice,” Hinson said after his first few weeks serving.
Grace Klein Community’s impact extends beyond the Bessemer and Hoover facilities; volunteers and staff members regularly complete food rescues by delivering donations from partnering restaurants and organizations such as Trader Joe’s, Chick-fil-A, Church of the Highlands, and many others.
Some have built friendships that extend beyond the deliveries, attending events, playing pickleball, and even living together in a housing community.
In a city where one in four residents faces food insecurity, the work of the Grace Klein Community team is changing lives, one box at a time.
