On Sunday, Feb. 22, at 10:00 a.m., the sanctuary of Mount Zion AME Church will fill with song, prayer, and gratitude to honor a woman who has spent nearly a century feeding the souls and bodies of the Roanoke community.
The Doris Dillard Food Pantry Team, The Wellness Team and the Stewards of Mount Zion are proud to sponsor “Doris Dillard Day,” a celebration of the life, legacy, and 99th birthday of Sis. Doris Dillard.
Born on February 27, 1927, in Stewartsville, Sis. Dillard has been a cornerstone of the Roanoke Valley for decades. A graduate of Addison High School and a retired employee of the VA Hospital, she has spent over 50 years as a devoted member of Mount Zion AME.
Thirty years ago, Sis. Dillard looked at the hunger in her community and chose to be part of the solution. She founded the food pantry in the church basement, a mission that has since grown into a vital lifeline. Today, the Doris Dillard Food Pantry serves over 200 people a month, operating alongside a Clothes Closet and Wellness Clinic to provide holistic care to the disadvantaged.
In recognition of her decades of “Self-Help” philosophy and her role as a community trailblazer, Mayor Joe Cobb will be present a formal Proclamation, officially declaring the day in her honor.
The celebration will feature a special performance by the Voices of Zion, a choir Sis. Dillard served in for many years.
Pastor Amy Hodge, who has served Mount Zion for 17 years, and event sponsors extend a heartfelt invitation to: Family and Friends, to celebrate the matriarch who helped raise a generation and to honor a woman who served as Lay Organization President, Steward and Missionary Sunday School prayer meeting member.
