Thirty Jars of Peanut Butter!

A reflection by Mark Cole:

For a few years in elementary school, even though my parents both worked full-time jobs, I was a beneficiary of the government’s reduced lunch program.  Ever since that time, I have had a sensitive place for those who experience hunger and an appreciation for the government program that helped my family be fed during the school week.  The trouble is, for many children and their families, the free and reduced lunch program does not cover weekends. This is where GPBC’s program fills a special need.  I can think of no better way to care for and show God’s love for the children in our community than to feed them!

I LOVE the work our church does to provide backpacks with weekend food to students at Ginter Park Elementary School.  Our boys also LOVE helping with the backpack project and have missed participating on Wednesday nights in recent months as other commitments have kept us away from that special time when the church family packs the backpacks together.  That’s why, when an opportunity came to sign up to shop for the backpack project, I couldn’t wait to do so!  By shopping for the backpack food, the boys and I could help support the program even though we aren’t able to be present on Wednesday nights.  So, last week, for the first time, the Cole family set out on a mission to purchase one week of backpack food.  We were well prepared by the ministry leader Keene with instructions, food lists, discount cards, and payment in hand.  BJs Wholesale Club and Walmart didn’t know what hit them when the Cole clan showed up on a mission to support the backpack project!  The shopping didn’t take that long but fun was had by all and the boys and Mandy and I were given the opportunity to think about all of the children and families that are helped by this important work that our church is engaged in.  I will never forget the look on our young son’s face when he learned we needed to purchase THIRTY jars of peanut butter.  Priceless!  So, if you’ve wanted to support the work of the weekend backpack project and haven’t been sure how to help, I would encourage you to reach out to Keene or Pastor Mandy or myself and we can help you find a place to pitch in.  There are plenty of places where your help would be appreciated.