Saint Mark Baptist Church hosts "Hope of the Block" cookout to distribute food and services in Little Rock

Saint Mark Baptist Church in Little Rock opened its doors for the first "Hope of the Block" cookout, an outreach event aimed at meeting community needs through free meals, clothing, health screenings and haircuts.

Pastor Alan Graves described the program as faith-driven and cited Scripture: "We believe in Matthew 25:40, which says, what you do to the least of, you do the same under Christ," he said, explaining the church's motivation for the outreach. The broadcast also relayed that "Our pastor Doctor Pointer says you can't consider yourself spiritual if you don't... meet the entire needs of the world," underscoring the faith-based rationale.

Organizers reported more than 50 volunteers from church members and local residents helped run the event, and church leaders said this is the first of several planned community outreach activities for the year. Attendees received meals and a range of assistance from health screenings to clothing and haircuts.

The event, organizers said, is intended to connect directly with people in the community and to provide services that may otherwise be hard to access. Church leaders encouraged residents in need to take advantage of future outreach dates, while volunteers highlighted the importance of meeting people where they are.

Follow-up announcements by the church or partner organizations will provide dates for additional events and details on volunteer sign-ups.