A reflection on the Weekend Backpack Ministry by Vickie Hall:
John 15:12
This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
Our Weekend Backpack Program at Ginter Park Baptist Church has grown by leaps and bounds since it first began a few years ago. It is one ministry of our church that has truly been inter-generational – young and old come together on Wednesday evenings to help pack food to be distributed to children in need at Ginter Park Elementary School. These children are able to receive breakfast and lunch during the week at school but may not have anything to eat at home on the weekends. The Weekend Backpack Program speaks to my heart in knowing that these little ones will be able to have food to fill their bellies. It speaks also to the hope that the parents and caregivers of the children may find some relief in not having to worry about whether their children will have food – if only for a few days.
My parents divorced when I was very young and for the first 7 years of my life my mother was a single mom, raising me all on her own. She worked two jobs to keep us both fed, clothed and living in an apartment of our own. As an adult, I know how hard she worked, how little we had and how difficult it was for her to do it all. I now know that many times she worried over whether to pay the rent or buy groceries. There were many dinners of cereal, of peanut butter sandwiches or vienna sausages. I can remember her scraping the last tiny bits from the peanut butter jar because we couldn’t afford to let any amount go to waste. I don’t remember being hungry. I don’t remember feeling embarrassed that we had so little. Those years are some of the happiest memories I have, mostly because of my mother. She was able to make what was actually very meager appear to be more than enough. My mother and I were fortunate in that many meals took place at my grandparents’ home. While they didn’t have much either, we were always welcome to share their meals and abundance of love. Knowing that, if needed, she could take me to their home to eat if we – literally – had nothing at home surely was a great relief to an overworked single mother. I hope that the food we are able to provide to the children at Ginter Park Elementary can bring a moment of relief to another parent or caregiver when it feels like they are just barely getting by or have nowhere else to turn. I hope the love packed in the bags with our food reaches out to them and gives them comfort.
(You can get involved by volunteering with the Weekend Backpack Ministry by emailing Keene Irwin and you can make a donation to support this ministry!)