NEWS
A8 • BCR RECORDER • APRIL 11, 2013
Florence church feeds hungry children By Melissa Stewart mstewart@nky.com
FLORENCE — They’re just simple brown lunch bags, but their contents can mean the world to a child – whether or not he or she goes hungry. According to Florence United Methodist Church member Christy Blundy, these bags are just a step in the church’s mission to end hunger in Boone County. “Our No. 1 goal is for there to be less hungry children in our community,” Blundy said. “We know there are children in our community who are hungry. We want to do something to help. It’s important to live your faith in action. You should help anyone who needs help if you have the ability.” The church has partnered with the Freestore Foodbank to provide Power Packs, lunch bags filled with nine to 12 kidfriendly, nutritious and shelfstable items. The Freestore Foodbank created the Power Pack Program so children have meals on weekends and school vacations. Florence United Methodist decided to start “in their own backyard, so to speak,” said Blundy. They chose three elementary schools within a 5-mile radius of the sanctuary, located on Old Toll Road in Florence. They will provide Power Packs to students at Ockerman, Erpenbeck and Yealey elementary schools. For three weeks, Blundy said, the church collected monetary donations and raised enough to purchase 1,700 pounds of food. On April 3 volunteers gathered at the church and packed enough bags to feed participating students each week for the rest of the school year. Children of the church
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Andrew Howe of Florence staples a Power Pack bag filled with nutritious food items that will be given to local students in the community. MELISSA STEWART/THE COMMUNITY RECORDER
even brightened the bags with decorations of hearts, crosses and suns. “The outpour of financial support and the volunteer support has been such a blessing,” Blundy said. “We’re going to be able to bless these children and their families.” Ockerman has participated in the Power Pack Program in previous years, but Yealey and Erpenbeck have just started with the outreach of the church. Yealey Family Resource Center coordinator Michelle Arnold said the donation will help between 10 and 15 families at the school. “I anticipate as word gets out that more families will express their need for food assistance,” she said. Arnold said many kids at
Charlie and Emily Smart of Union pack a brown lunch bag for the Power Packs Program sponsored by Florence United Methodist Church. MELISSA STEWART/THE COMMUNITY RECORDER
Yealey only eat food at the school, going home and to bed hungry. She greatly appreciates the church’s outreach. “Florence United Methodist Church has been amazing spearheading this project and recognizing the needs right here in our community,” she said. “As a minimally funded center partnering with community agencies is essential to the
Family Resource Center.” According to Erpenbeck counselor Kelly Savicki, the program will assist 16 children at the school. She said programs such as Power Pack are important because of the difficult economic times families face today. “It is wonderful to have community outreach that can give our families that extra support
that can help make ends meet in tough times,” Savicki said. “I am extremely appreciative of Florence United Methodist Church for reaching out to Boone County Schools because we have many families with needs and this is one more way that we can help our children.” Want to continue the conversation? Tweet @MStewartReports