We often reach out to neighbors we’ll never meet….which is another wonderful result of living out the Christian faith.

Calvary’s Junior and Senior High Youth recently met at Midwest Food Bank (MFB) in Bloomington to package cereal…about 1200 pounds of cereal! The product is donated to Midwest Food Bank in bulk but has to be broken down into smaller packages for distribution. This organization that serves so many explains: “As a faith based organization it is the mission of Midwest Food Bank to alleviate hunger and poverty by gathering and distributing food donations to not-for-profits and disaster sites without cost to the recipients.” Calvary knows first hand how important this work is because we receive cases and cases of food each month from MFB to use in our Backpack Ministry with Parkside Elementary School.

Here are some quotes from those who participated in the recent food packaging ministry.

Michael Pitzer: It was great to have the youth and parents work together as well as junior and senior high students working together. Everyone involved not only shared a time of working side by side, but also learned about what Midwest Food Bank is doing.

Julia Rolley: I think that it was a good experience through seeing how much help and how much food goes to those in need and how helping made me feel I was doing my part to help others not as fortunate as I am.

Jonathan Smith: Well I’ve done it multiple times with church and scouts and I always like going to see how much people still care for other people by seeing how much food and supplies that they have at their facility. I feel like it was a good experience because we were able to indirectly help people. Doing it that way reflects Jesus’ teaching to pray in private rather than boasting out on the street corner. The people who will receive that food won’t know that we did it and I would imagine that they will be very thankful. It was also a chance for us to have fellowship with one another while we were working there. Finally, it makes me feel good because I was able to help people who might be in need.

Sarah Hopt: It felt great knowing that I was helping others and that what I did was going to benefit families in need. After I was done helping out it felt very fulfilling, because I had not only served others but I had made God happy, too.

Elena Rolley: I think that the experience was good for me because I was using my free time to hel work toward helping others. It made me feel great, and I had a fun time doing it. And like my parents said, it looks good on a college application! Haha!

Nick Rolley: I was very surprised by how much the Midwest Food Bank does for our community and how far reaching it is. I also had a lot of fun just doing the work and getting to spend time doing the work of God with some of the church family.

Tasha Schuckman: I volunteered at the Midwest Food Bank because they have a great organization going there that they have built up very well. They distribute food to many people who are in the state of Illinois as well as beyond it. Also, the experience of preparing a meal that you know will impact the world is incredible, and that is why I love volunteering there.

Annika Luthe: It was a fun experience and it was cool to help people out.

There you have it! Calvary Student Ministries brings families together in service….thank you, CSM!