Rotary clubs work to help hungry students
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Some might think the students would be chastised for this behavior, but they don?t know the people who live in Warren County.
In fact, when some local teachers were confronted with this very situation, which they noticed happened most often on Fridays, instead of berating the students, they began to try and figure out a way to add to the students? food stash.
And why would they do this? They did it because they realized the students were apparently going hungry during the weekend when they didn?t have access to the school breakfast and lunch programs, and the food they were spiriting way from school was being used to tide them over until the next school meal.
The teachers quickly received help from a new ministry in Warren County, a ministry with the same goal, that of feeding hungry school children in our community. And though it started out at one facility, it is now beginning to expand through the efforts of local organizations and churches.
Those involved were quick to point out this situation is not necessarily due to any sort of neglect by parents, who in many cases may have recently lost their jobs and or themselves in hard financial straights due to health or other problems.
The original program, called Full of Emmaus Love (FUEL), was started in Warren County at Bobby Ray as a cooperative effort between the school and First United Methodist Church, where it is sponsored by a church organization called the First United Motorcycle Christians. First United Methodist pastor Dr. Steve Angus and his wife, Bobby Ray guidance counselor Gretchen Angus, brought in the program from Clarksville. Pastor Steve, as he is known to church members, says the program has been around for some time.
?FUEL is not unique to Warren County,? Angus said. ?I was part of this ministry in the Clarksville area. I moved here about a year-and-a-half ago and there was an organization of motorcyclists here in our congregation who wanted to be involved in doing some kind of mission. And I remembered the success and how meaningful it had been at my church there.?
Pastor Steve told the Motorcycle Christians about the program, and they took it from there, with guidance from the Anguses.
And now Breakfast Rotary has joined in, partnering with Bybee?s Chapel Methodist Church and the Warren County School System central office staff, to provide the program at West Elementary. The school?s guidance counselor, Emily Haston, spoke to the Breakfast Rotary recently about the program and what it does for the students. Though there are federal programs, such as the one which provides free lunch programs for low-income families, these programs only provide a hot breakfast and lunch for the children during the school week, and not on the weekends, which is where this new program comes in.
?For many of our children, they don?t always know when their next meal will be,? Haston said. ?And on the weekends, there just may not be those two hot meals.?
Haston says the school begins by collecting information from teachers, who are close enough to the children to recognize a need, for instance, a child who consistently asks for extra food, and the program takes it from there.
The Breakfast Rotary program, which has now been in existence for around two months, is being spearheaded by Buffy Gaither, who says the organization is proud to be a part of this outreach.
?The benefits have been wonderful,? said Gaither. ?We have been so blessed to be involved with this project. Rotary is always looking for something to enhance the community, and this is a great way to do that.?
The Breakfast Rotary program will have its own name, which is yet to be chosen, but is basically the FUEL program, just under Breakfast Rotary?s oversight at West. Gaither says the club is pleased with the support and donations they have received, and hopes it will grow as word gets out.
?We are always in need of additional food,? Gaither said. ?We have a lot of people who are bringing in donations, but we need a lot more. We?re packing for 35 to 37 kids per week, and it?s running approximately $150 per week to support the program.?
For more information on the program, or for organizations or churches who want to volunteer or take on a sponsorship, or groups or individuals who want to make donations, contact Gretchen Angus at Bobby Ray. The phone number is 473-9006.