No holiday break for food pantry's school backpack project
Volunteers of the Food Pantry at the Church of God come together at NewPointe Church in Millersburg each week to prepare close to 200 "backpacks" filled with plenty of food that will help children who receive free and reduced lunches throughout the West Holmes School District through the weekend.
This Christmas the Food Pantry at the Church of God in Millersburg is making a concerted effort to make sure area kids have food to eat over Christmas break.
Part of the Food Pantry at the Church of God’s ministry has been the creation of the backpack meal program for students throughout West Holmes School District. The program is free for any student on free or reduced lunches.
Each Friday throughout the school year, food pantry volunteers unite with volunteers from NewPointe Church in Millersburg — with assistance from clients from the Holmes County Board of Developmental Disabilities — and put together grocery bag “backpacks” filled with all kinds of food.
The backpacks are dropped off via a box truck to schools every Friday, where around 200 students receive food that they take home to ensure they have meals during the weekend.
“It has been a hugely successful program and a vital one for many of our district’s children who would otherwise struggle to find food at home,” said Dave Masters, pastor of the Church of God and director of the food pantry.
The food pantry will be faced with a particularly challenging task as Christmas approaches. With Christmas break being nearly two weeks long, the hope is to bulk up the packages with as much food as possible so it can last far into the break.
Masters said they put 4-5 pounds of food in each backpack, but the push is on right now to collect several key items including peanut butter, microwavable macaroni and cheese, and Ramen noodles, which have the ability to make multiple meals. Those will be added to the list of cereal, fresh fruit, cereal bars and other items to make a menu that will hopefully last the two weeks for students.
“That last bag we send out before Christmas break. We try to load it up with extra quality goods to give them a little more to draw from during that two weeks,” Masters said. “That is where the public can play a big role in providing us with either funds or those specific food items to give the kids.”
Masters said they try to keep their backpack meals as healthy as possible yet economically sound, and they try to avoid putting too much weight in each bag, noting they have a number of younger children utilizing the program, so they don’t want to make the bags too heavy for them to tote home.
If anyone would like to make a donation, they may do so by dropping off items at the pantry. Call ahead for availability or stop from 1-4 p.m. on Friday. Stock day is every Thursday while distribution day is on Fridays. Mondays are normally spent preparing and bulking the items in preparation for distribution.
If someone would like to provide funds specifically for the backpack project, they may do so by sending funds to the Millersburg Church of God with either “backpacks” or a specific food item denoted on the memo line of their check. Checks may be sent to 10643 state Route 39 W., Millersburg, OH 44654.
Another option to give comes through Rea & Associates, which for the third year is putting forth a fundraising effort designed specifically to collect food for the backpack project.
“To have a local business who comes in to support us year after year is so important, and it is exciting because they see our vision,” Masters said. “That has been a special relationship with us.”
While the food pantry volunteers and board members work from the inside, Rea & Associates has answered the bell and has made a fundraising effort toward the food pantry to help defray costs for the backpack project. Now in its third year of choosing the food pantry as its fundraising recipient, Tina Detweiler said the company enjoys the opportunity to share their blessings with others.
“All of our Rea & Associate offices (there are 13 located throughout Ohio) have made community giving a priority,” Detweiler said. “Whether it is this or Share-A-Christmas, our employees have been extremely giving, and what the food pantry is doing through the backpack project is a special effort to connect with kids and help them, and we have the ability to create an even bigger potential to help even more kids through giving.”
Every year the 13 Rea & Associate offices have a contest at this time of the year where the top-three teams receive additional funding from the company. Last year the Millersburg branch raised $1,000, which didn’t land it in the top three, but Detweiler said they are one of the smaller offices. She also said there is always hope they can work their way into the top three.
“We appreciate all of our local nonprofits and what they do for our community,” Detweiler said. “The backpack project has just really struck a chord with us.”
While the food pantry continues its giving ways, a need within the organization has grown, and what has become evident to Masters is they are facing a real dilemma.
The pantry’s current box truck is now more than two decades old, and according to Masters, it is suffering from numerous mechanical ailments. The fear is that it will soon break down completely, putting them in a bind.
Masters said the truck had mechanical issues recently, and in one day he fielded 45 phone calls at church from concerned people who were missing the truck’s services.
“A truck that old, things tend to just break down, and it has been happening more and more,” Masters said. “We are in desperate need of a new, quality, used box truck with a lift gate. That would be a huge blessing.”
Anyone with a lead on a box truck may call Masters at 330-231-7058.