Episcopal Church donates $30K to help feed children for year

Mike Moore photos
Excited youngsters run with their sack lunches to an optimal location at the McLagan Tot Lot Aug. 24 to enjoy their lunches. Due to a donation from Christ Episcopal Church of Glenrock, students will have a year of lunches on Fridays, replacing snacks that were within the club’s budget.

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By Mike Moore mike@glenrockind.com

Youngsters’ hands tightly gripped brown paper bags as they strolled down the sidewalks en route to McLagan Tot Lot last Friday afternoon under the warm summer sun.
It was the first Friday Fun Day - which came from an agreement between the Converse County School District No. 2 and the Boys and Girls Club of Glenrock. The purpose of such an agreement was to ensure children have a safe place to be throughout the day now that the school district has cut back to a four day week. For the first Friday, the club saw a turnout of 43 children.
Previously, the club was only able to provide snacks during the day, but through a recent donation from the Christ Episcopal Church of Glenrock, meals are now covered for the better part of a year.
“Our outreach committee was concerned about how kids would eat on Fridays that have free and reduced lunch (at school),” The Rev. Leigh Earle, a deacon at Christ Episcopal Church of Glenrock, said.
Meanwhile, the club had been looking to implement a food program for some time, but didn’t have the proper resources to do so.
“It’s something we’ve wanted to do for three or four summers,” Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Wyoming Executive Director Brandy Popp said.
They asked the BGC to come up with a dollar amount as to how much would be needed to fund a year’s worth of Friday meals during the school year and daily meals in the summer, along with snacks. The club came up with a figure of $30,309 and the church tasked itself with writing a grant to the Foundation for the Episcopal Diocese of Wyoming.
The foundation was able to give $27,300 for the cause and the outreach committee of the church added $3,009 to ensure the club had the funds it needed.
The grant covers two snacks and lunch on 38 Fridays for the school year and then covers two snacks and lunch Monday through Friday through Aug. 16 2019. The club estimated on the basis of 37 children per meal and snack, Earle noted.
Episcopal churches throughout Wyoming can apply to the foundation for up to $50,000 per year for projects that will “benefit the world.”
With the help of outreach committee member Louise Hammersmark they were able to recruit seven additional groups for a total of eight to rotate each week in order to help prepare the Friday meals. In total, six churches, the Glenrock Senior Citizens Center and the American Legion Auxiliary will be taking turns helping out.
“Each entity will take a Friday preparing and serving with a staff member at the club,” Earle said.
In the summer when school is out of session, the club will provide meals five days a week, but volunteers will only be helping with prep work on Fridays, according to Earle.
She said this was a good way to make sure area children are fed on Friday and have a nutritional meal in their bodies.
“Our parish is very supportive of our outreach,” she said. “We believe in serving others beyond our church walls.”
Popp said any child in school up to the age of 18 can come have lunch on Fridays without actually attending the club. All they have to do is show up by 11:30 a.m. at the club.

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Glenrock Independent

Physical Address:506 W. Birch, Glenrock, WY 82637 Mailing Address: PO Box 109, Douglas, WY 82633 Phone: (307) 436-2211

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