Sat., Sept. 29, 2018

Ruth 2:4 – Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem. He said to the harvesters, “May the Lord be with you.” And they said to him, “May the Lord bless you.”

I love being able to bless other people. It’s one of my favorite things to do. This is one reason why I’ve become involved in a program called Blessings in a Backpack.

This is a program which helps provide weekend food to school students who might not otherwise have enough food. Our local Blessings program works with our local school district to provide this food to students who would be blessed in having this food. In our local program we provide 10 items of food a week: 2 breakfast, 2 meal items and 6 snack items.

It is amazing to watch this program work. The majority of the food is purchased through our local grocery story, who works with our program to provide the food at the most reasonable price possible. Volunteers order the food, pick-up the food, pack the food and deliver the food to the schools. Our volunteer leadership team coordinates the volunteers, finances, connection with the school, administrative roles and marketing promotion.

This past week was National Blessings in a Backpack. Here are the volunteers and owner of the local grocery store who packed the food bags that were delivered to the school on Friday.

Why do I choose to be involved in this program? Because it is providing food to students. I feel making sure every student in our school district has adequate food is my responsibility and my opportunity. Some of you may feel this is not your calling or responsibility. Yet, I feel we all have the opportunity influence kids in our community. This is one way that I choose to be involved. I envision every time a student receives a food bag they feel blessed and cared for.

Maybe being part of a local Blessings program is not feasible for you. I challenge you to become creative and discover a special way that you can support school-aged you in your community:

• Mentor or tutor student(s) in your local school district.
• Help cover the cost of lunches for students who many not have funds to do this
• Provide funds for a student’s lunch break
• Listen to students read
• Help a student with homework on a regular basis
• Volunteer to help with recess
• Be a volunteer assistance in a classroom or homeroom regularly
• Ask at your school or library how you could support local kids
• Pray for the school, administration, students, teachers and all staff.

Whether you have school-aged kids or not, we have unique opportunities to be a part of the kid’s lives within our community. This is how we shared important things from generation to generation.

No matter your age, physical abilities or other commitments, I pray you find a way to support kids within your community.

For the ability to bless school-aged students, I am thankful.

Almighty God – thank you for the opportunities that we come along to bless others. I pray we seize the opportunities to give your love, grace and peace into other’s lives. Amen.

Blessings –

Dianne

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