Mary Nolan’s face went blank and her hand came up to cover her mouth as if not to let any emotion out.

Pastor Don Moore of The Potters House in Jonesville had just handed her a significant gift he had received from an anonymous source for her and her husband Thomas “Tommy” E. Nolan Sr.

She didn’t know what to say but one phrase eventually emerged.

“Thank you, Jesus,” the 62-year-old from Union said.

She and Moore stood next to each other for just a few moments — they exchanged a hug — before she took the gift and headed for Tommy — who suffers from Parkinson’s disease — sitting in his wheelchair. Mary showed her husband what had come for them and the two simply sat in silence looking at the special package for a brief period before her hand came back to her mouth.

This gift will help the couple and Mary’s brother who lives with them stay warm this winter. It will help a family who just a month before was wondering where its next meal might come from.

“Now we’ll have us a new heater,” Nolan said Wednesday.

The Nolans’ story is just one of a thousand or more Moore and his congregation at The Potters House have heard and seen over the last three months after they began what quickly became a realization instead of just a vision.

The church just held its third Truck Load of Food event and has registered about 700 families — and served even more — in Union County who need food assistance because of varying reasons.

They could be unemployed, disabled, living on a fixed income, going through the same type of experience as the Nolans or have an entire host of other issues. The one thing they all have in common now, however, is the dedication Moore and The Potters House have to continue helping them and anyone else in their time of need.

“We’re just trying to lift them up,” Moore said. “Trying to reassure them God loves them, we love them and we’re going to be there.”

He said the people the church has served and will continue to serve all seem to be appreciative of the efforts being made to help those in need in Union County. Moore added he receives phone calls almost daily from people who want to help or couldn’t but want to make sure he and the volunteers who work the food bank events know how much they are appreciated.

“We’ve really needed something like this in Union County for a long time,” Moore said. “And we’re glad to be doing this. They’re letting us know they do appreciate what we’re doing and that’s what keeps you going.”

The recognition the Truck Load of Food events have received in print and television media has only furthered The Potters House purpose by shedding light on a problem that isn’t going away soon. But Moore agreed it’s become more than just feeding families.

He and his congregation have moved past simply providing a food bank for those who need assistance, they have become friends and confidants to those they are serving and are willing to help in any way they can.

The Nolans are a perfect example of how the Truck Load of Food outreach is already reaching farther than original goals projected.

Moore received a letter from the anonymous source who gave Mary and her husband that significant gift asking him if he could be the person to deliver it. Mary had only attended one of the food drives in Jonesville, but it was through God’s work, she says, she was chosen by the pastor to be featured on WSPA-TV as part of a newscast.

She’s not a member of Moore’s church, but the family needed the help so she went. Her and Tommy’s life haven’t been the same since as people started calling, writing and sending gifts almost immediately after her story aired.

“It exploded,” Mary said.

Moore was put in charge of delivering this latest gift because the woman who sent it knew what he and the church were doing and knew he would get it to Mary.

Little did the pastor know when he received the letter and gift that when he called Mary to tell her he had something for them, she reported she would be making a contribution to the church for everything it had done for them.

“My preacher said one day you can’t out-give God,” Mary said, adding by giving back — no matter how small a gift it is — He blesses you in return.

She hopes more and more people get involved in the food bank project at The Potters House and said people can be proud — too proud to ask for help — but the need is always there and it’s not possible to foresee if you might need the same help someday.

Moore said more people and organizations are getting involved.

“More and more people in the community are starting to open up and help,” he said.

Just this past weekend during the church’s third food bank event on Saturday, examples of new participants in the cause and mission were Jonesville Baptist which brought food and an individual from Union who supplied 27 turkeys for the drive.

“We had a lot of people pull up before we started to bring stuff,” Moore said.

And it excites him that additional churches also are becoming involved in the effort.

“Little by little, more and more churches are getting involved,” Moore said. “Again, it’s Union County working together, getting us all to be one.”

As additional people become a part of the experience, Moore looks back at how it all started and how it’s changed him and the people who volunteer their time and effort to make these food drive events successful.

“There’s a grand scheme of things,” the pastor said. “Now that we’ve been into it a few weeks, you can see everybody involved growing up and maturing.”

For himself, it’s made him realize even more that there’s a purpose for being here.

“It makes you realize we all have a part to play in this great scheme of things we call life,” Moore said. “It changes your heart. It changes your attitude of how you look at life.”

He and the volunteers for the Truck Load of Food events are glad to do everything they can for those who need the help and that seems appropriate for this time of year when giving is at the forefront of everyone’s thoughts.

But while Moore knows he and his church are doing all they can to help, he still carries around some sadness in connection to the outreach.

“I know, on one hand, we’ve done so much and worked so hard to put food on every table,” he said. “But the part that hurts — even though we’ve been able to give to so many — is knowing there’s still so many out there that still don’t have enough.”

They are excited to be able to help as many people as possible during the Christmas holiday, but also know there’s still much to be done.

“The sky’s the limit,” Moore said. “If we put a limit on it we’d be limiting God. We know God will make a way.”

He looks forward to next year and the blessings it will bring, but really there’s only one main purpose for the Truck Load of Food events and that’s not going to change.

“We just want to serve the people,” Moore said.