DOWAGIAC — While they may all hail from different churches and different denominations, members of Dowagiac’s ACTION Ministries have two very important qualities in common.

They are all devout Christians — and they are all committed toward improving the lives of every person living in the Dowagiac area, regardless of their faith or walk of life.

Members of the local church coalition shared the history and mission of the organization during the latest Greater Dowagiac Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours event, hosted Thursday evening at the ACTION Ministries Center, at 301 Main St. Around 30 business and political leaders, including recently re-elected Mayor Don Lyons, attended the gathering, where they received a chance to tour the church network’s food pantry in the basement.

ACTION — which stands for Area Churches Together In One Network — started in 2009, when a group of local pastors came together to start an organization committed toward improving the community, said Jeff Neumann, ACTION Ministries president.

The following year, the group began meeting inside its present headquarters, the former home of Groner Funeral Home. Although the building was in rather rough shape when ACTION members began using the facility, the property’s owner, Tom Starks — the head of Starks Family Funeral Homes and Cremation Services — spent months improving the quality of building, including installing new siding and roofing, as well as redoing the interior, Neumann said.

“I don’t know how much Mr. Starks poured into this building, but it was a ton of money,” Neumann said. “So I had to go up to him and ask, ‘what is your plan?’”

“’Jeff, the building is yours, as long as you can use it,’” was Starks’ reply, Neumann recalled. “Even now, I get choked up thinking about it. It was a huge investment for the good of the community, the good of the people and for our organization.”

In 2011, ACTION members opened the food pantry in the basement of the former funeral home. The pantry continues to be one of the organization’s main priorities, with members distributing food — including boxed and canned goods, as well as bread and frozen meats — to locals in need from 10 a.m. to noon every Saturday.

“We are not ashamed of who we are [as Christians],” Neumann said. “But we don’t worry about that [our faith] when people come for food. It is for whoever is in need.”

The organization has also sponsored visits from mobile food pantries, through the nonprofit Feeding America, over the past several years. The truck stops several times per year at different locations in the Dowagiac area, in order to assist families who cannot easily make it to the ACTION Center.

The ministry network also provides emergency food boxes to families several times each year, and also distributes commodities to senior citizens once a month.

Through these distributions, ACTION volunteers often develop close relationships with those they help. Neumann had to hold back tears when recalling the story of one such person he and others have helped over the years, whose granddaughter is unable to walk, requiring the woman and her daughter to work together to help the child get in and out of bed and to help her get dressed every morning.

“I’m hearing her say this story, and I could tell she hadn’t told anyone this story in a long time,” Neumann said. “I could feel the weight coming off her. We are serving people in need, and we are also lending them our ear. If they want to, we can give them gospel, too, but it’s not a prerequisite.”

ACTION Ministries also provides housing assistance, including transitional housing for those who have just been released from jail, Neumann said. The group organizes several events every year as well, including community-wide worship services. The organization also hosts quarterly community meetings, where anyone is welcome to come and share ideas on how to improve Dowagiac — the next one is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Nov. 20, at the ACTION Center.

People who want to support ACTION Ministries may either donate money — $1 can purchase $6 worth of food at the Feeding America warehouse — or may volunteer with the organization.

“We need more people interested in helping to step in,” Neumann said.