The issue of not having enough food is one that is happening right now in Bryan County. A number of children in some of the local schools do without from the close of school for one week until the start of school for the next.
At Calera ISD, there is an effort to help stem the tide of hunger. Food For The Weekend was started by Nathan and Amanda Peterson, and is having a positive impact for elementary students in the district.
“Food For The Weekend is a compassion ministry that we have for Calera ISD,” Peterson said. “There are 50 kids who have been identified by teachers in the elementary school who would go without food for the weekend. So, we were asked by the admin of the school if we could come in and meet that need and that’s exactly what we do.
“We’ve been meeting this need for a little bit, but we know that to sustain it long term, or to even grow it, we need the help of the community. One church, one organization, one business can’t do it alone. We want to seek first the Kingdom of God in all that we do. And so we’re asking for partnerships, volunteers and financial partners in this.”
A suggested goal for local businesses or organizations is $25 per week to help finance this endeavor.
“We’re providing nine meals and 10 snacks. We go to Sam’s Club and buy the supplies. Then we fill up Walmart sacks and on Thursday mornings, we drop off these bags inside the school and the teachers go pick them up from the counselor and then discreetly put it in the bags of those students who have been identified as those who would do without for the weekend.”
We couldn’t come up with a better name for it so we simply called it Food for the Weekend.
The nine meals and 10 snacks accounts for three days – Saturday and Sunday and Friday, as well, as Calera ISD is out of school on that day.
You can go to discipletexoma.com/together to donate or learn more.
“This isn’t a ministry of Disciple Makers Church,” Peterson said. “This isn’t a ministry of any specific church or organization. This is a community mission and so we need to work together to meet this need.”
The Petersons send out a special thanks for the Calera ISD school board, superintendent and elementary school administration, inlcuding the principal and counselor for their help in assessing and meeting this need.