Our Mission Committees focus for October 2020 centers on the local ministries our congregation supports that provide food for those in need: City Rescue Mission Thanksgiving baskets, PB&J program for WASD students, Westminster College Food Pantry, and the NWPC Blessing Box.
PB&J is Packing Backpacks & Joy, a weekend food backpack program for students in Wilmington Area School District. Approximately 30% of the students in Wilmington Area School District qualify for free or reduced-price breakfast and lunch through the National School Lunch Program. It is the fuel they need to get them through the week. What happens to these children when they go home over the weekend? Some of them do not have enough food.
PB&J is a cooperative venture of Wilmington Area School District, Community Food Warehouse, and the New Wilmington Ministerium. Volunteers run the program. They pack bags weekly and find and manage funding. The school district determines eligibility and enrolls students.
Each participating student receives a plastic grocery bag filled with child-friendly, shelf-stable/non-perishable nutritious food. Included in the bag is food for 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, and 3 snacks.
Volunteers pack food at the New Wilmington Methodist Church and deliver the bags of food to the schools. Food packs are placed in the students’ own backpacks by school personnel.
There are over 100 people involved. Volunteers from the churches who are on packing teams and teachers and secretaries at the schools make this program work.
NPWC is conducting a Thanksgiving food collection for City Rescue Mission this year, from October 25 to November 15. See graphic below for more details:
The Westminster College Food Pantry and food for students is an ongoing concern. You can help with the donation of non-perishable food items, as: cereal, oatmeal, peanut butter & jelly, crackers, canned soup, baked beans, vegetables and fruit (packed in own juice) –all with pop top lids, tuna/salmon/chicken in pouch or can, rice, pasta, tomato sauce, dried beans, Ramen noodles, macaroni & cheese, coffee, and healthy snacks (granola bars, nuts, dried fruit). Allergy friendly foods also welcome.
The bin for food donations for Westminster students is out all semester, both fall and spring, and can be found in the entryway by the SE door – closest to campus!
NWPC also supports those in need of food in the community by way of the Blessing Box located by the fence in the front yard of the church. Folks can take what food they need out of the Box and others with extra food can put donations of food in the box.
(Check back to this blog post with more updates throughout the month.)
