Warm Meals and Lifesaving Lessons: UAB Street Psychiatry and Wesley Church Team Up to Help Montgomery’s Unhoused Residents

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WAKA) — A local church and doctors with UAB’s Street Psychiatry program teamed up Wednesday night to help unhoused residents in northwest Montgomery as temperatures dipped into the 40s.

Volunteers from Wesley Church’s Tuesday Morning Men’s Bible Study group grilled dozens of burgers, providing a hot meal to about 60 people facing food insecurity. At the same time, Dr. Will Rutland, residency director at the UAB Montgomery Campus, demonstrated how to use Narcan — a life-saving medication that reverses opioid overdoses caused by drugs like heroin and fentanyl.

“We wanted to come in and do what we could to educate the population about how to use it to save a life if they get the chance,” Rutland said. “We did that around some good-looking burgers and a lot of fun people, so it was a great night.”

Doctors from UAB’s psychiatry residency program distributed 72 boxes of Narcan during the event. They hope the effort will help continue the downward trend in overdose deaths. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, overdose deaths in Alabama declined by more than 30% between March 2024 and March 2025.

“The upstream treatment is better. The public education is better, and all of that is helping,” Rutland said. “The numbers are hopeful right now, so I choose to believe it will continue in that direction.”

But Rutland also expressed concern about growing food insecurity. With the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, suspended as of Nov. 1 due to the government shutdown, he said some of his patients fear they won’t be able to feed their families.

“There are a lot of folks that I see at the clinic that live very close to the margin,” Rutland said. “They’re not quite underneath the federal poverty line, but they’re close, and things like SNAP benefits are the differentiator for them between being able to take care of their family and not being able to take care of their family. Those are folks who are employed who are making minimum wage or more…and they’re very worried that they’re going to lose their supplemental nutrition and I’m very worried for them. So that’s something that is kind of a storm that’s brewing that we’re concerned about.”

Skip Dotherow, a volunteer and member of Wesley Church’s Tuesday Morning Bible study group, said the outreach is about more than food.

“People have to eat, and so many people right now are suffering and they’re hungry,” Dotherow said. “We are there to help meet their needs just as our Savior was there to meet ours.”

Dotherow said he’s especially moved by those who often go unseen.

“The ones that touch me the most are those that have fallen through the cracks,” he said. “They’re here, but no one sees them. We just have to find a way to shine a light on them — and that’s the light of God’s love.”

According to the City of Montgomery, a number of churches, nonprofits and food banks across the city are stepping up to provide groceries, meals and household essentials for those affected by the loss of SNAP benefits.

Residents seeking assistance or those wanting to volunteer to help can visit handsonriverregion.org or call 211 to connect with local food pantries and community programs.

Other resources include:

• DOTs Thrift Store Montgomery: Offers free food and household items through its community resource center. facebook.com/dotsmontgomery
• Heart of Alabama Food Bank: Visit the website for a list of local food pantries.
• Why Hunger: Call or text your ZIP code to 1-800-548-6479 for nearby food assistance.
• Local Houses of Worship: Many offer aid through meal programs and emergency support.