For our mission project this year, we will be collecting loose change for Buddy Bags!
Children who are benefiting from free breakfast and lunch at school, are not always so fortunate on the weekends. Studies show that a hungry student tends to have attention difficulties and slower memory recall. Other studies show that it takes up to two days for a student who has not eaten well over the weekend to regain their mental and physical strength. It is no surprise that suppling these students with supplemental nutrition over the weekend helps with these issues.
Imagine trying to concentrate on your studies when your stomach is grumbling. You are not only hungry, but embarrassed at the thought of your fellow students hearing your stomach. It is hard enough being a child. Worrying about food should not be one of their concerns.
In the summer of 2017 Bonnie Meyer, Director of Missions and Outreach at the Crown Point, IN First United Methodist Church, felt called and determined to help fight food insecurity in her community’s schools. She presented a plan based on a program developed by Pastor Jeff Newton of Kokomo, IN called Buddy Bags. This program provided students that qualified for the Federal Free Lunch Program a bag of food to take home on the last day of the school week. The “Buddy Bag” contained breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks for two days.