Before Cycle Break Needs

There are soooo many things that I love about getting to be a part of Bear Necessities so today I made a favorites list.  

Top 5 Things I love about being a part of Bear Necessities

1.   No child at John Weldon Elementary has to be hungry
2.  Our kids feel celebrated and special on their birthday
3.  My children are learning to think bigger than themselves
4.  Parents teaching their children to serve by serving WITH them
5.  Every week God provides enough food... EVERY.SINGLE.WEEK

Thank you to the Machado family!

As we move closer to cycle break, we will be sending bags home twice next week so, here's our list of items we need by noon on MONDAY:

40 individual cereal boxes
9 oatmeal envelopes
20 peanut butter (18 oz)
26 jelly
21 ritz cracker sleeves
43 easy mac envelopes
18 cans soup
14 green beans
8 fruit cups
34 applesauce
11 granola bars

Hungry Kate: The Girl With A Belly Ache & This week's needs

 I came across this video by Feeding America and it was such a powerful reminder of why we do what we do!  Please watch this:

 Every single person who donates prayer, time and food for Bear Necessities is helping a "Kate" in our community!  Some weeks I feel like you all just have to get tired of the constant reminders that food is needed...  I mean, I know that I delete some of the emails I get from some places that just seem to NEVER.STOP.ASKING... 

but then I remember the "Kates" and how their little tummies are THEIR constant reminder that food is needed and if we don't make that extra trip to the grocery store... or sacrifice that cup of Starbucks... or cook at home one night instead of eating out... Kate won't get fed.  When I remember that this is about all of the "Kates" in the community... when I remember that "Kate" may sit next to my daughter or son at lunch... or play with them at recess... or even come over to my house at times for playdates... I KNOW that I have to keep sending the reminders! 

Here's our list for this week:

20 individual cereal boxes
28 cans tuna
16 ritz cracker sleeves
28 cans corn
21 fruit cups

‘For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ “Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? ‘And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? ‘When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ “The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’

Matthew 25:35-40

Donations and Birthdays

This week's list is pretty short but we are also needing some birthday supplies, so I'm posting those too. 

17 cans chili
15 cans beefaroni
18 cheez its

Birthday Supplies:
Cake Mix and Icing
Classroom Treats (boxes of oreos, rice krispy treats, skittles, etc.)
Birthday plates and napkins
Birthday Gift Bags

While supplying the weekly need for food for these kids is so critical, it is the huge smiles they have when they get their birthday bags that I just love to hear about!  Thanks for helping me make sure that every one of these kids feels special on their big day!

Donation List

Crazy busy here so just a quick list of what we need this Thursday:

23 10 individual boxes of cereal
5 breakfast bars
28 4 cans soup
25 cans ravioli
9 envelopes easy mac
25 14 cans corn
22 9 pudding cups

Updated 9/12

Thanks everyone for your commitment to our kids!

Don't forget to sign up to pack bags:

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0F4AAEAA22A64-20122013

$10 off Thursday is TODAY

Who's ready for a four day weekend!?  Woot!  Woot!  This also means that next Thursday will seem to come much quicker so I wanted to get the list for next week up here because of that AND because 

TODAY IS $10 OFF THURSDAY AT SHOP 'N SAVE!

So, whether you need groceries yourself and can get an extra $10 to give to the kids of Bear Necessities or if you want to spend $40 on our kids and get a free $10, today is the day!

So, here's our list for this week:

2 Almond Butter or Soy Nut Butter
27 Peanut Butter
25 Ritz Cracker Sleeves
10 Easy Mac envelopes
23 cans green beans
28 fruit cups
26 applesauce
12 nutragrain bars

Have a great Labor Day weekend everyone!

NEEDS FOR TOMORROW

 we STILL need the following items by noon TOMORROW:

30 cereal bars

15 10 cans tuna

10 sleeves ritz crackers

23 cans soup

19 cans corn

2 cheese cracker (must be peanut free and not processed in plant with nuts)

22 pudding cups
classroom approved snack bags

Updated 11:33 a.m.

Are we doing better than other counties?

his week i read that child hunger is an issue in every single county in the US.      EVERY.SINGLE.COUNTY.       This made me wonder about my own county.  When we think about hunger... or at least when I do, I think that it's probably worse in the inner city areas and then again in the very rural areas but O'Fallon was just voted one of the top 100 best places to live in the whole country by Money Magazine, so surely it's not too bad here, right?

Well, further investigation shows that while we are slightly better off than the inner city of St. Louis, which has 24.4% of it's children in food insecure homes, and much better than some of Missouri's more rural counties like Reynolds County, which has 31.3% of it's children in food insecure homes, we still have a whopping 17.6% of Saint Charles County children living in food insecure homes.  Take a look at the map below:

You can check out the interactive map yourself at:  

http://feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/hunger-studies/map-the-meal-gap.aspx

This is just a great reminder why what we're doing at Bear Necessities is so important.  These kids who are going hungry don't live in some far off land (though it's just as important to care for those kids too!), these kids live right next door to some of us... but they don't HAVE to be hungry!  We can change that and we are!

This week we will, again, be serving about 30 kids and we need the following items:

30 cereal bars

30 cans tuna

10 sleeves ritz crackers

23 cans soup

19 cans corn

14 applesauce

2 cheese cracker (must be peanut free and not processed in plant with nuts)

22 pudding cups
classroom approved snack bags

Our teachers are also noticing that a lot of our BN kids are coming to school without a snack during the day.  Studies show (and we all know it's true) children who do not get enough nutritious food to eat have higher levels of behavioral, emotional and academic problems and that's just not okay.  So, with that, we've also added snacks to the list.... just a few extras that the teachers can keep in their rooms and share at their discretion. 

Finally, I'm in the middle of planning a VERY IMPORTANT birthday party.  This Sunday will mark Bear Necessities ONE YEAR BIRTHDAY!  WOO! HOO! August 26, 2011 was the very first day that we sent food home with kids and we have. not. stopped!  In the next few weeks I am planning to open my home for a dessert celebration but the details will have to follow at a later time, so be sure to check back!

Last but not least, thank you to all of our volunteers and donors this week!  Here are just a couple of generous people who help make this possible.  For the record, their beautiful baby sister helped pack bags too but right when we were taking the picture a bug flew by and well, the girl doesn't like bugs!  

Have a blessed week everyone!