by Marcia Wittmann on behalf of the Food Ministry team

Summer is the season for time off and much-needed vacations. But the Food Ministry has been as busy as ever, helping to fight food insecurity in our greater community.

To give you a sense of what we’ve been up to and what’s ahead, here are a few of our summer projects:

• Food Drive for Westminster Presbyterian Church, June 7 & 14 – More than 300 non-perishable items were collected for Trenton-area individuals and families in need.
• HomeFront Joys, Hopes and Dreams Sandwich Bags, June 9 – The team assembled sandwiches and packed them up along with snacks and beverages for kids who study at the Lawrenceville Library Tuesday evenings during the school year.
• HomeFront Tutoring Program Picnic Supper, June 15 – A meal of hot dogs, mac and cheese, veggies, watermelon and dessert was prepared, delivered and served at this popular annual event marking the end of the school year.
• TASK Culinary Program Graduation, June 19 – The Roland Rahn Memorial Scholarship Fund, administered by Lori Rahn and daughters Renae and Natalie, provided knife sets for each graduate. Lori and Sandy Unger attended the ceremony and enjoyed a gourmet dinner prepared by the current culinary students.
• HomeFront Wacky Wednesday Dinner, July 15 – A meal of chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, salad fixings and dessert was prepared and served by Food Ministry. An added bonus was seeing the educational program presented by Travis Gale, the charismatic Owner/Education and Animal Care Director of Eyes of the Wild exotic animal rescue. The rapt audience was treated to an array of “ambassador animals,” including a porcupine, a white fox, and a chinchilla, which the kids were able to pet.
• Meals for Luther Arms, June 25, July 29, August 27 – Each month, the team prepares and delivers a hot midday meal for residents of this Trenton low-income senior apartment building. Recent entrees have included lasagna and Spanish chicken and rice, along with salad fixings and dessert.
• HomeFront Camp Mercer Breakfast, June 30 – The team purchased and delivered bagels and spreads, cereal and milk, and oranges for the 75 campers.
• Urban Promise Summer Camp Snack Bags, July 12 – The Food Ministry can’t take credit for this project. As soon as the kids were released after the Story for All Ages, they got straight to work assembling 200 snack bags containing granola bars, cheese crackers, fruit cups, and juice boxes. What seemed to be a daunting task at the outset was completed before the service was even over by this energetic group of young people. Their impressive efforts resulted in an entire week of healthy snacks for 50 happy campers!
• Coffee Hour Food Prep, August 23 – After the Story for All Ages, Food Ministry will introduce the kids to our Sunday steward, Roberto Santiago, who will explain the many ways he serves UUCWC. Then we’ll help the kids prepare a few snacks for Coffee Hour.

The Food Ministry team is grateful for the opportunities we have to feed people and “Change the World,” and we look forward to continuing our work in the fall. We welcome new team members, so if you’d like to participate, contact us at foodministry@uucwc.org.