Stomping out Hunger One Bag of Love at a Time
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Can you imagine knowing that the lunch you just ate on Friday, would be the last meal you would have until Monday morning? Hard to think about that isn’t it? It is happening with our little children right here in our own community.
Last fall, we became acutely aware that many area children suffer from hunger issues on the weekends and holidays when they are out of school. Combining local businesses, local non-profits and concerned individuals, we approached area principals and school counselors to determine how best we could address this need. In September 2010, Bags of Love was launched as a free weekend food program for schools desiring to offer this community program in insuring that no child goes hungry on the weekends.
We approached Berkeley County schools we had previously been working with through our additional community programs: Angel Food, Coats for Kids, Uni-fest, and Christmas Extravaganza to offer Bags of Love as a weekend resource they could distribute to children they determined were in need in their local school. Parent permission slips were sent home to be signed accepting the program and to list any allergies for the child. The other concern we had was to protect the privacy of the children receiving Bags of Love.
Bags of Love works in this matter: The school only gives us a number of the children they know are in need. We then fill that number of bags and deliver them to the school each Friday for the staff to place the bag in the child’s back pack. The privacy of the child is protected due to no other child knowing the bag has been placed in the back pack. We all felt this would also prevent any teasing or bullying to the child receiving the extra help.
Each bag consists of seven meals plus snacks and drinks. Each bag has at least sixteen items of child friendly, easy to open and fix items. Every Friday the bags are delivered and the schools are asked if they have any other needs we may be able to fill. It is always a pleasure to hear the wonderful stories from the staff how Bags of Love have changed a child’s life or relieved a parent’s stress of how they were going to feed their child over the weekend. One parent even wrote stating we should change the name of the program to “Bags of Life” because that is what it has brought to her child, life. The children are more alert, less tired and most importantly ready to learn on Mondays compared to what they were before the program. They are also going home excited knowing they have food instead of crying to the teachers afraid they would have no food to eat over the weekend.
We are amazed how the community is coming together, becoming aware, and so eager to help our children of Berkeley County. Non-profits are dedicated to the program along with area businesses and individuals. Every day we are gaining more and more support. We are currently serving eleven schools. Our goal is for the community to be joined tightly together through the Bags of Love program. Also become even more involved in our other programs we have to help the children and their families in the county. We want to see teachers and school staff stress and worry reduced by the services we can offer to the schools to help the children. We see such a love and concern from the teachers for their students and simply desire to partner with them to solve issues that are preventing children from living their best life possible.
There are 22 elementary and intermediate schools in Berkeley County. Cooperating together our community can eliminate hunger among our region’s children. We can do it. We should do it. And we will do it, together. If you would like to join in with the community to help stop this hunger please read below on how to join hands with us. All it takes is sponsoring a child for just $20 a month.
About
- Bags are filled with food that children take home on weekends or holidays.
- Food is child-friendly, non-perishable and easily consumed.
- Bags are discreetly distributed to children on the last day before the weekend or holiday vacation.
- Bags of Love is in 29 school serving 454 children.
Get Involved
All of our international ministries are provided locally through the One Hope Ministries network. Contact One Hope Ministries today to see if this model is currently serving your area. Support this and other programs by making a $1 a day donation. We would love to help you get started in the Bags of Love ministry! Just give us a call at 304-261-4007 or email One Hope Ministries International – Bags of Love and we will explain how to get you started.
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