Weekend food program helps meet children's needs

Nevada Daily Mail

Volunteers at United Methodist Church of Nevada, with help from other area churches, Wal-Mart and Woods Supermarket, are working to see that students in the Nevada School System don't go home hungry for the weekend.

Counselors at the schools identify those students who would best be served by the "Brown Bag Blessing" program, which attempts to meet "basic nutritional needs," including a variety of fruit, protein and carbohydrates, said UMC Pastor Linda Pagel.

"Our local grocery stores work with us so that we can purchase the food at the lowest possible cost.

"We also get a lot of donations."

In addition to healthy food selections, twice a year the volunteers add in hygiene needs such as toothpaste and deodorant, she said.

UMC Brown Bag Blessing Coordinator Beth Ann Marcum said the program began in early spring of 2012 when the then interim pastor for the church, Rod Kelly, "went to two of the ladies in the congregation and gave them $50 and said go make new followers for God.

"The two women met with several other women in the community," said Marcum. "This group was comprised of people from different churches, but they all had an interest in the children of this community."

Marcum said the group began by meeting once a week at Community Outreach. They packed 10 lunches that were handed out through Community Outreach.

"That fall the ladies went to the elementary schools and began taking lunches to be handed out by the school on Fridays to the children at risk of having no food for the weekend.

"The United Methodist Church started taking 30 double lunch bags to Truman Elementary. We continued to take bags to Community Outreach during the summer when school was out.

"This last fall when school resumed, the school requested 50 bags and now it has increased to 59 bags," said Marcum.

"Each bag contains two lunches and costs about $4."

Rev. Pagel estimated just her church's contribution to the program runs around $200 plus a week.

"The project has grown from one woman to a group with each sharing the shopping, packing, delivery and fund-raising," said Marcum.

She said the other schools in the district are being served by Reinhart Christian Church and First Baptist.

Truman, as the largest elementary, has the biggest need.

"We have received help from First Christian Church. Their members come and help pack the bags and help deliver them. They have contributed money on two occasions too.

"Our church has supported this mission for almost two years, and we have given out over 3,000 lunches. But it has grown so large that we have had to go out into the community to look for help," Marcum continued.

"Any local organizations that could give us an opportunity to come and speak, we are looking for support. And any organization that would like to take another school can contact Barbara Long at Community Outreach."

Community Outreach can be contacted at 667-4339 or contact United Methodist at 667-5435.