Trinity Church launches ‘Friday Fill-Up’ food program for students

On a chilly Saturday in February, some two dozen adults and kids gathered in the basement of Trinity Episcopal Church to assemble 80 bags of food — enough to feed 20 kids breakfast and lunch every weekend in March.
Volunteers delivered the food to Rawsonville Elementary School on the following Friday.
The program is called the “Friday Fill-Up.” Its mission statement reads: “Animated by our faith tradition’s teachings to care for others, the Friday Fill-Up program strives to reduce food insecurity in the Van Buren School District by feeding weekend meals to the most vulnerable among us: our children.”
The Friday Fill-Up came about when church leaders talked with school officials and learned about kids in this community who get breakfast and lunch at school Monday through Friday, but sometimes have to face bare cupboards over the weekend.
Hunger is associated with a host of issues for children, including difficulty concentrating and learning; developmental delays; behavioral and emotional challenges like anxiety, hyperactivity, and aggression; and elevated risk for chronic illnesses such as anemia and asthma.
The bags contain nutritious, non-perishable foods with an emphasis on items that are easy to open and consume with little to no cooking skills: jars of peanut butter, containers of apple sauce, shelf-stable milk, cereal, granola bars, microwave-ready mac and cheese, etc. They are designed to provide enough calories to cover at least breakfast and lunch for one child for two days. Some dental hygiene items are also included.
Pastor Ian Reed Twiss said the church plans to continue to feed at least 20 kids every weekend through the end of the school year. They hope to be able to expand that number to at least 50 by the fall and meet these kinds of food needs in other schools in the district.
Volunteer energy is strong, so their focus is on seeking grants and additional funds to keep the program going and expand its impact, Pastor Twiss said.
Financial donations are welcome. Checks can be made out to Trinity Episcopal Church with “Friday Fill-Up” in the memo line and sent to the church at 11575 Belleville Road, Belleville, MI 48111. Approximately $40 feeds one child every weekend for a month.
Community help is also always welcome. For more information or to volunteer, contact Gabby Burton ([email protected]) or Martha Hanoian ([email protected]).