Pictured is the awarding of a $5,000 grant from the AEP Foundation to the Sinking Spring Community Church for the Peebles Elementary Backpack Program. The church provides 97 food bags each week for children to take home to supplement their food environment until they return to school on Monday. Included in the photo (l-r) are Sarah Louiso, PES guidance counselor; Susie McFarland, retired educator and SSCC Backpack Program volunteer; Jessica Brewer, PES assistant principal; Allie Brown, PES sixth grade volunteer; Judy Wilcher, SSCC Backpack Program volunteer; Paula Vaughn, SSCC Backpack Program volunteer; Greg Seaman, pastor, Sinking Spring Community Church; Chad Newman, PES head custodian; Holly Johnson, Breauna Shreffler and Alanna Lewis, AEP representatives; and Debbie Ryan, Adams County CHC coordinator. Not pictured are coordinators Donna and Tom Smith; Rachel Unger, PES educator and SSCC Backpack Program volunteer; and Julie and Jodi Seaman, SSCC members who initiated the PES Backpack Program.
Submitted photo
Making a difference in our community. That is the mission at Sinking Spring Community Church, and for students at Peebles Elementary School and Oliver School that is exactly what they have been doing since 2013 by providing nearly 100 weekend food bags for students at the two schools each week of the school year.
According to church officials, this outreach program stemmed from a personal encounter with children from a neighboring county who were placed in temporary foster care with a church parishioner, arriving with a bag of food items for the foster weekend placement. This prompted the concept for Sinking Spring Community Church to propose a weekend backpack program at Peebles Elementary. When approached, teachers and administration at Peebles Elementary confirmed that there was a definite need for this type of assistance within their school.
Teachers across the country see how hunger affects the classroom: a decrease in concentration and academic performance, and an increase in behavioral issues. Sources report that Adams County child food insecurity is nearly 25%, higher than the national and state average.
Predominantly funded through their general fund, the church receives a few personal donations to help supplement the cost of the program. The average weekly cost to supply the backpack is approximately $5.50 per backpack, making the total cost for the school year around $20,000.
The Adams County Creating Healthy Communities (CHC) has partnered with the church to help identify food items for the backpacks that are palatable and easy to prepare for kids, as well as to ensure that it provides the necessary nutrition needed to keep them healthy. Through this partnership, the CHC grant will be able to provide resources for supplies to make food procurement, storage and distribution easier, as well as looking for other sources of funding to assist the church in its efforts to continue this program into the future. (The CHC grant is administered through the Adams County Health Department and the Ohio Department of Health.)
Recently, a $5,000 grant was received from the AEP Foundation to help offset the costs of the program. The AEP Foundation strives to improve the quality of life for people in the communities where AEP and its operating units serve and where AEP employees live and work. This funding will help offset the cost of food purchased for this program. The church and school greatly appreciate AEP’s commitment to their communities through this grant assistance program.
One of several outreach projects by the church, they attribute the success of the backpack program to their many volunteers and the great partnership with Peebles Elementary.
“The program is truly a partnership,” said Donna Smith, Backpack Program volunteer who, along with her husband, Tom, order, stock and help fill backpacks each week. Other church goers who volunteer each week by filling and delivering backpacks include Paula Vaughn, Judy Wilcher, Susie McFarland and Rachel Unger. Peebles Elementary School officials identify the most at-risk students and discreetly provide these food bags before leaving for home on Fridays. Two sixth grade students volunteer to distribute the food each week.
With rising food costs over the past 10 years, the commitment to this Backpack Program for Peebles Elementary children from the inking Spring Community Church has never wavered. They are committed to continuing this program, regardless of the cost and for as long as it is needed. They truly are making a difference in their community.
If anyone would like to make a donation to assist with this invaluable program, mail your donation to Sinking Spring Community Church, P.O. Box 73, Sinking Spring, Ohio 45172, and note it is for the PES Backpack Program.
Submitted by Debbie Ryan, coordinator, Adams County Creating Healthy Communities Program.
