Welcome 2014

One of these days these kids will go back to school!  Just kidding but it has been a nice long break for sure.  There are just a few things that we need to be able to provide for the children this week:

34 peanut butter
21 Ritz cracker sleeves
30 easy mac envelopes

Hopefully the grocery stores will have these items restocked after Snowmageddon this week! 

I also wanted to update everyone on the amazing things that God did through this community the last two months.  Sixteen families received Thanksgiving dinner, forty-one children were blessed with stockings filled with goodies and twenty-one were given what they wanted for Christmas!  That is all in addition to receiving food each weekend so that not one child goes hungry!  It really is amazing what God can do with a group of willing people! 

Thank you to each person who has been a part of this ministry in 2013, I look forward to all that God will do in 2014! 

Look for the packing sign up to go up later this week.

Christmas Blessings for our kids, Food for next week and Thanks!

What an incredible blessing it is to have a community of people working together.  The Saint Charles Elk's Lodge has purchased nearly all of the gifts that we need to bless our kids for Christmas.  There were just a few items that they were unable to get and so we're confident that some of you will be able to help!

1.  Football Gloves for a 7 year old boy
2. Zelf Doll
3. Winter Fleece Headband
4.  Stuffed Giraffe
5.  Pink or Hello Kitty headphones

Seriously, that's it!  Can you even believe it?  I just love the generosity that God has placed in the heats of those living in this community!

If you are able to get one of these items to me by MONDAY, please comment below AND text me 314-540-4718.  Please tell me who you are in the text too.

Lastly, we will need 42   18 easy mac envelopes and 42 apples or oranges this week. 

p.s.  A HUGE thank you to the Girl Scout leaders who worked together to make stockings for all of our kids!  I know they're going to love them!

Thanksgiving Dinners

Hi Everyone!

If you are one of the families that had signed up to receive Thanksgiving Dinner, they will be available for pick up THIS MONDAY at John Weldon during school hours only.  Please be sure to pick up as there is not refrigerator space for anything at school. 

Thank you!


To everyone who makes this ministry work week after week,

Thank you so much for all you do and have a very Happy Thanksgiving! 

Food Drive Update

I apologize for not updating everyone on the wonderful success the JW Student Council had at the food drive on Saturday but I awoke Sunday with a terrible sinus something and did not feel at all myself until yesterday.

I was able to stop by Shop 'n Save during the day and get a photo of some of the wonderful kids who were helping.

The first delivery came by 10 a.m. and more were made later throughout the day.

This set of photos was taken after the second to last delivery.  There was a final, equally large, delivery after this was taken but I was in the basement unpacking and organizing. 

After several deliveries, Ms. Strebeck and Mrs. Marino stayed and helped us organize all of the food.  There is more than we have room for!  Yet, in perfect God fashion, there are a few items we didn't receive a ton of and so we will still post when we need those items.  Since God created us to serve one another, there is still an opportunity to serve Him through Bear Necessities every week.  We will continue to need 42 apples every week and if we wind up with 84, the kids will all get two!  Nothing wrong with that!

As we were unpacking, Mrs. Marino found a sweet note that had been placed into one of the bags:

 

I always love the reminder that we don't do this out of some desire to be good but because there are real people who are hungry and God gives us enough that we can share with them.  It is not His will for any to be hungry.  He has provided more than enough for everyone.  It is we who hoard it... 

well, not in this community!   

Thank you so much to every parent, teacher and student who helped with this!  We are so grateful for you!

Elks, Rivers and Food Drive

Instead of a needs list, today I want to share about some of the members of our community who have shown great love to us. 

That sounds kind of weird, doesn't it?  Sometimes I catch myself saying things in a way that my husband calls "churchy,"  which basically means that outside of the church walls or a group of church people, you wouldn't find that word or phrase being used.  Since not everyone was raised in church, I try to not use "churchy" words in life because my faith is something I'd like people to not be grossed out by. 

So, I want to share about some of the members of our community who have really been supportive and helpful to Bear Necessities.  (less churchy?  Okay.  Godd.)

The St. Charles Elks Lodge is an amazing group of people.  From the time that they learned that there are hungry kids at John Weldon and that there was a way to help them, they have not stopped serving.  When they show up with food, the donation box is always overflowing and sometimes even the entire foyer of the house.  True to the giving nature that they live by, they have received a grant that they would like to use to purchase Christmas gifts for our kids this year.  It's still uncertain if it will cover all 42 kids but I know that they will do everything in their power to help the kids of Bear Necessities.  My family and I have had the privilege of meeting so many of these wonderful people and count it a privilege to be serving along side them. 

Two Rivers church moved in a couple of years ago next door to Gym Quarters and began reaching out to the John Weldon Community right away holding an Easter Eggstravaganza for anyone that wanted to come.  While we have talked for a while about how best they can serve Bear Necessities, this year they had an offer that we just could not resist.  The wonderful group of people at Two Rivers has offered to provide a Thanksgiving dinner for any of our Bear Necessities families that would like to receive one and many of our families are.  They will be able to pick up a turkey and all the trimmings before Thanksgiving so that they can give thanks for all that God has provided for them this year!  God provides constantly.  Often he does it in ways that aren't what we would choose or even expect but he provides.  I'm so incredibly grateful for the amazing people at Two Rivers Church and their effort to show the love of Jesus in our community!

Finally, John Weldon elementary is such an amazing place with even more amazing people!  Tomorrow, SATURDAY NOVEMBER 9, the Student Council has organized a food drive to take place at Shop 'n Save on Hwy K in Monticello Plaza to support Bear Necessities.  Teachers, staff, parents and students are giving up such valuable Saturday time to stand at the entrances of the store, handing out lists of what we need to every customer that will take one.  So often we get wrapped up in how we can give to something financially, but so often it is our TIME that is needed the most!  I'm so touched at the effort from these who are willing to give of their free time to help their friends.  Ms. Strebeck, the amazing wonderful incredible fourth grade teacher and Student Council Sponsor has worked with Mrs. Pearson, the kind caring excellent fifth grade teacher and Student Council Sponsor to man a twelve hour shift for this food drive.  These wonderful ladies have come and packed bags with their own kids and have seen the difference Bear Necessities makes in the lives of their children as volunteers and their students as recipients. 

In light of the food drive tomorrow, I am not posting a needs list today but if you would like to give this week, I encourage you to do so by supporting our wonderful friends from John Weldon and stop by Shop 'n Save tomorrow between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.

Student Council Food Drive 
November 9, 2013
Shop 'N Save - Monticello Plaza
8 a.m. - 8 p.m.

What a blessing it is to serve the Lord in this wonderful community!

This week's needs

Super quick note today.  Just what we need for next week:

26 chili
36 beefaroni
41 25 easy mac envelopes
11 peas
2 juice box
42 applesauce
8 apples

This week's needs and Thanksgiving Blessings

Friday afternoon I had the privilege of speaking to about 60 kids at John Weldon about child hunger and how it's completely unnecessary in our country.  We talked about the statistics; one in four children in the US are living in homes where there isn't enough food for everyone.  We talked about how the rest of us, on a regular basis, have so much excess food in our homes that it just gets thrown away.  A group of kids agreed that this should not be the case.  We talked about how the Bear Necessities community works together with one another, the school and local churches and each week we are able to provide food for the weekends for every child in need at their school.  They asked how the program got started and where it got it's name and I was able to tell them about  a group of moms who prayed every week for their kids and how through that, God gave the idea.  Lastly, I got to share with them the humble basement where the magic happens and encourage them that when they are given an incredible task, they do not have to wait for everything to be perfect to begin because "If I waited for perfect conditions, I would never do anything." 

This week we do have some items we need and since there is no school on Friday, we need everything by 11 a.m. on Wednesday:

42 soup
36 ravioli
21 easy mac envelopes
30 corn
1 applesauce
42 apples

I would also like to take the opportunity to thank Two Rivers Church.  I was really unsure how we would do our Thanksgiving Blessings this year with the increase in families over years past.  Honestly, I just didn't see any way that it could happen.  It seemed impossible to offer something to over 30 families but during our fall break I received a call from this local church and they have offered to provide a FULL THANKSGIVING MEAL to any of our families that would like to receive one!  Praise the Lord!  We don't have to see the way for Him to be working to create one!  There simply aren't words to explain how grateful I am for this church and their participation in our community!

They will be packing bags for our families as well as families out in Wentzville on

November 23
10 a.m.
Two Rivers Church  
88 Hubble Drive
O'Fallon, MO 63368

and have asked that anyone who wants to help, come help.  If you are interested, please email me so that I can supply them with a list of how many volunteers to expect.  dorinda_peyton@yahoo.com