DECATUR, Texas (ABP) — When Ken May and Candy Burden learned that one child in 10 in their area goes to bed hungry every night, they decided to do something about it.
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Every Wednesday this summer, volunteers from First Baptist Church in Decatur, Texas, will prepare food and deliver it to a local park, where they’ll set up during the lunch hour under an awning edged with colorful plastic flags to offer children a free meal.
“The idea came from a children’s health-care summit sponsored by Cook Children’s hospital,” said Candy Burden, the congregation's children’s minister.
The hospital conducted a study of six counties to find out major needs in the area. Hunger and health topped the list, Pastor Ken May said.
In the first week of their summer feeding program, the church distributed lunches to 100 children. Volunteers said they hope that number will increase as more people find out about it.
“We just felt like this was something we should do and something God was calling us to do,” Burden said.
The church has sent fliers home with students through local schools and is placing an ad in the newspaper each week to advertise the meal, Burden said.
“We also put signs out [at the park entrances], and that really draws kids in,” Burden said. “A lot of kids from nearby neighborhoods hang out in this area.”
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Members of the congregation were eager to support the free-lunch program. Volunteers arrive at the church at 9 a.m. to prepare the meal and load their vehicles. They start setting up in the park around 10 a.m.
“We’ve had 20 to 25 volunteers helping, from some of the older people all the way down to teenagers in the youth group,” May said.
The idea has also been well received by the community. The first week, a passerby stopped to ask how she could help, Burden said.
“One of the neat things that has happened is we’ve had some banks and businesses donate things. Legend Bank donated the water we’re handing out,” May said.
Burden hopes the church can increase the program’s frequency to two days per week, as well as get other businesses and churches involved.
The free lunch is funded by an offering that was taken on a fifth Sunday at the church, as well as a vacation Bible school offering.
“Every year, the VBS offering goes toward a mission project of some sort,” Burden said. “The kids bring in their coins and we make it into a contest between the boys and girls to see who can bring the most. Last year at VBS, the children gave around $1,300, which ended up weighing around 300 pounds.”
The congregation's effort is similar to other programs in the state that are part of the Texas Hunger Initiative, a partnership between the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission and the Baylor University School of Social Work. The initiative is seeking to make all Texans food secure by 2015. One of the first steps is starting summer feeding programs.
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Lauren Hollon writes for Texas Baptist Communications.
Previous ABP story:
Ending hunger statewide by 2015 is subject of Baylor summit (11/23/2009)