Hunger rarely looks like the stereotype. Sometimes it looks like a parent who works full-time but cannot make childcare and groceries fit in the same month. Sometimes it looks like grandparents raising grandchildren, a family navigating a health crisis, or someone who just lost a job and needs help for a season. Loving like Jesus means serving those who are the most vulnerable in real and tangible ways.
In this episode, Bishop Wright has a conversation with Ashley and Sean Davis about the real faces of food insecurity and why a food pantry can be a lifeline without ever stripping away dignity. Their story starts with a major health issue that forced Ashley to step back from a corporate banking career and ask a hard question: what kind of work actually helps people? This discerning question led them to sell their California home, move to Cartersville, Georgia, and search for a place where they could stop feeling anonymous and start building community. That search led them to The Episcopal Church of the Ascension, where everything felt right, and soon after to the Red Door Food Pantry, where Ashley became executive director in 2024.
They dig into the measurable impact and the human impact and how The Red Door Food Pantry grew from a ministry of Ascension into a nonprofit while continuing distributions through the church, and serving thousands of households across Bartow County and beyond. They discuss improving access through technology, mobile pantry plans, and partnerships that bring mental health support, housing resources, health services, and recovery connections right to distribution days. Listen in for the full conversation.
About Ashley Davis
Ashley Davis is executive director of the Red Door Food Pantry in Cartersville, Georgia. Before stepping into nonprofit leadership, Ashley spent 13 years in corporate banking, where she managed operations for a commercial lending department in Los Angeles. In 2024, she became executive director of Red Door Food Pantry, where she has helped the organization expand its reach, strengthen partnerships, and improve access for neighbors experiencing food insecurity across Bartow County and beyond.
About Sean Davis
Sean Davis is a member of the Red Door Food Pantry board and co-owner of Autograph Media, a marketing and website design agency serving local and national organizations. Sean brings entrepreneurial and creative experience to the pantry’s work, supporting its communications, community relationships, and long-term vision for growth and sustainability.
About The Red Door Food Pantry
For decades, the food pantry was an outreach ministry of the Episcopal Church of the Ascension. By joining the Atlanta Community Food Bank in 2013, the Red Door Food Pantry was able to buy food at much greater buying power and help the ministry attain solvency. In 2022, the Red Door Food Pantry was designated 501(c)(3) status as a public charity. Learn more about the Red Door Food Pantry.
From the archives: Read a previous diocesan story about the Red Door Food Pantry and its partnerships, including support from the Episcopal Community Foundation for Middle and North Georgia.