When the Elizabethtown Area School District closed its schools on March 13 due to a state order in response to the coronavirus pandemic, some members of Elizabethtown First Church of God with ties to the school district had a conversation about what the church-at-large could do to help the community during this crisis.
One question, said Joan Crick, a substitute teacher whose husband, Robert, is an assistant principal at the high school, was "How can we be reaching out to share the love of God during this time?"
The answer came on March 18, when the first bagged lunch giveaway for students and their families took place. The effort, under the auspices of the Elizabethtown Ministerium, aims to help feed families whose children rely on school lunches to meet their daily nutritional needs. Other people in need are able to receive lunches, as well.
Before the program started, the school district was contacted with the ministerium's offer to help provide food for students. Due to various restrictions and a lack of funding, the district was unable to run such a program, so it accepted the offer.
"We think the ministerium's doing an amazing job stepping up to support the community and our families," said district spokesman Troy Portser.
Providing these lunches was a way to "support the school district so that they could concentrate on the educational part of the changes that were going on," said Joan, who has been coordinating the effort with pastor David Robinson of First Church of God.
The program operates on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, with lunches assembled by crews of volunteers at First Church of God, 144 S. Market St., and distributed there between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Lunches are also picked up and distributed at the same time by volunteers at two other sites: Hope Community Church, 1806 Harrisburg Ave., Mount Joy (Rheems), and Bainbridge Church of God, 7 N. Second St., Bainbridge.
The lunch giveaway started out as a five-day-a-week operation. However, a few weeks ago, the number of days was scaled back to three, with each person receiving two lunches at a time. That change was made to increase efficiency and to reduce contact among people, Joan said. The program will continue at least through Friday, June 5.
Joan estimates that, counting all three sites, between 200 and 260 people are fed each day. Also, since the program is run by the ministerium, the lunches can be given to anyone who shows up.
At least 50 volunteers from Elizabethtown-area churches have been involved with preparing and passing out lunches, all wearing the requisite masks and gloves, Joan said. At First Church of God, three separate crews of no more than 10 people pack lunches on the same day each week. That way, if a volunteer on one crew becomes ill with COVID-19, then the whole operation doesn't need to be shut down, explained Joan, who packs lunches on Wednesdays.
For volunteer Cindy Wivell, a Hope Community Church member, this effort has offered a way to connect with others and give back. "I feel personally blessed by what I have and feel like it's a way to show gratitude," she said.
Each lunch bag typically contains double servings of a sandwich, a vegetable, fruit, salty and sweet snacks and a beverage. Sometimes the recipients receive a special treat, such as a chef salad with a hard-boiled egg, a bean burrito or chicken noodle soup.
The school district has provided some food that would have been served in school lunches. Food has also come from the food pantry operated at First Church of God by the Food From the King Ministries. A steady supply of monetary donations along with donated food and packing supplies has come from the community, including churches, businesses and individuals. Also, an anonymous local businessman will match $5,000 in donations through Friday, May 15, Joan said.
Readers interested in volunteering or donating food items and supplies can visit a SignUp Genius page at https://tinyurl.com/etownlunches. Needed food and items listed on that page can be dropped off at First Church of God on packing days or delivered through Amazon via the registry link on the SignUp Genius page.
Monetary donations can be made through the online giving button at http://www.etownfirstcog.org; "community lunches" should be listed in the memo line.
To view more pictures of the bagged lunch giveaway process, readers may visit townlively.com/elizabethtown-lunches.
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