Mary's Lunchbox: Teacher joins with church to begin backpack ministry
Becky McKinney and her father-in-law Carl McKinney organize food donations for Mary's Lunch Box, a backpack program operated by Meadowview United Methodist Church serving students at Meadowview Elementary each week. (Photo by Carolyn R. Wilson for the Bristol Herald Courier)
By Carolyn R. Wilson/ Bristol Herald Courier
MEADOWVIEW, Va. (Nov. 29, 2015) -- Becky McKinney will never forget the day about five years ago when she was substituting at the school and she realized that some children may not have enough to eat on the weekends.
A member of Meadowview United Methodist Church, McKinney is doing something about that in her own community by starting a backpack program for students at Meadowview Elementary, and she invites members of the community to get involved.
With the help of her pastor, David Jackson, the teacher and other church members launched Mary's Lunchbox in 2010, a program sponsored by the Meadowview United Methodist Church to help fight poverty in the community. Each Friday at the school, bags of non-perishable foods are discreetly placed in children's book bags for them to take home on the weekends.
To give parents the opportunity to sign up, notes are sent home at the beginning of the school year, and returned to the students' teachers.
Food is purchased locally, divided into bags at the church, and delivered to the school, where teachers receive the food for their students. Student volunteers from Emory & Henry College, in addition to members of the church, pack food bags after a worship service once each month.
The program, named after church member Mary Virginia Smith, who left an endowment to the church, started out small.
Read complete story in the Bristol Herald Courier ...
Find out about Holston's mission emphasis on local children in poverty at WaytoGive.Holston.org ...