Fairfield church giving away toilet paper, hard-to-find products by the truckload

Tri-County Assembly of God’s pastor plans to inject some kindness to the community Saturday afternoon by helping to “spread hope, not germs.”

Pastor Brad Rosenberg has 30,000 pounds of paper products and cleaning supplies to distribute to anyone who needs them and cannot find them in the region. And he said it’s all about spreading hope and kindness to counterbalance the anxiety caused by the novel coronavirus, COVID-19.

"We really do believe that it's better to give than to receive, and we're trying to do that with this act of kindness and let them know that we love them, God loves them, and there are no strings attached. It's completely free," Rosenberg said.

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The church received a semi-truck load of products like toilet paper, paper towels, hand soap, bleach and spray disinfectant that will be passed out beginning at 3 p.m. at TCA, 7350 Dixie Highway, Fairfield. While Rosenberg doesn’t know how long it will take to give it away, they’ll make the process go quickly as there will be two lanes of cars going through the parking lot in an S-curve. Volunteers will either place items in a person’s trunk or back seat.

The idea for the giveaway came to Rosenberg after seeing the news about the lack of toilet paper and other products on the shelves. He called for help from Convoy of Hope, a faith-based, nonprofit from Missouri that provides food and other resources to communities.

“We want to be an agent of kindness in our community and to let people know that we love them, that God loves them, and we’re going to get through this,” Rosenberg said. “When everyone starts doing spreading kindness and love, the best is yet to come.”

While the scope of TCA’s distribution is more than many churches and organizations, the southern Fairfield church isn’t alone in giving much-needed paper products and cleaning supplies away, said Angie Kenworthy, with Fairfield’s LoveWorks. She said what Rosenberg and TCA are doing Saturday is the epitome of the American spirit as Americans “are kind at heart, and they want to give, they want to help.”

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“Kindness is contagious, and when the kindness happens to people, they want to pass it on,” Kenworthy said. “It may not be now … but they will pay it forward when they can and pass it on.”

Other examples of kindness people have shown during this time includes buying pizza for first responders, neighbors taking care of neighbors, and community leaders, like Fairfield Mayor Steve Miller and Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones posting encouraging the public to patronize local businesses.

“When people pull together, it can make all the difference in the world,” Kenworthy said.

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