Needs for September & October

A few people asked for a long term schedule and so you'll find it at the end of this post but this week we need:

UPDATE:  AS OF 9/28 WE ONLY NEED 10 CHILI FOR THIS WEEK. 

23 chili
32 beefaroni
4 easy mac envelopes
13 juicebox
10 nutragrain bars

Here's the next month of needs:

Sept 28-Oct 2
breakfast bars
tuna
ritz cracker sleeves
soup
easy mac envelopes
corn
fruit cup
applesauce
peanut butter crackers
pudding

Oct 5-9
oatmeal
peanut butter
ritz crackers
easy mac envelopes
green beans
fruit bups
applesauce
cheez its
nutragrain bars

Oct 19-23
soup
ravioli
easy mac envelopes
corn
raisins
applesauce
peanut butter crackers
pudding cups

October 26-30
chili
beefaroni
easy mac envelopes
peas
juice box
applesauce
cheez it
nutragrain bars

Weekly Update

We have just three weeks before fall break and, after this week, the shelves will be nearly bare.  This week we need:

14 corn
8 raisins
32 pudding cups

For those who view this list on Facebook, know that our FB posts have stopped reaching as many people.  My understanding is that FB blocks some posts in an attempt to encourage people to pay for more exposure.  Since it's our belief that any money should go to feeding the children, please share this blogpost and if you're on FB, please share posts there so that others can see it. 

Thanks so much!

Mid September Update

Bear Necessities will need several items for next week. The deadline for next week is Tuesday because there is no school on Friday. Here is the list of needs:

20 peanut butter

10 ritz cracker sleeves

29 easy mac envelopes

4 fruit cups

32 applesauce

12 granola bars

Each week, through Bear Necessities, God provides weekend meals for 32 local kids. If you are not able to donate, please pray and tell others who might want to be involved!

Update for last week of August

We currently have 27 students at two schools that we are serving.  We are so grateful that the Lord is allowing us to serve these students and their families! 

This week we will need a few donations to fill the bags:

27 oatmeal
23 cans of chili
27 individual bags of cheez its

Each year we help the elementary counselors so that they aren't having to purchase too much with their own money, though we all know that they just do it in other ares anyway but we get to take this burden from them.  They keep snacks in the office for kids who do not have one and are hungry.  So we also need a peanut free snack item donated as well.  This could be nutragrain bars, cheez its, popcorn or some other approved snack.  We also donate a bucket of bubble gum or several packages of gum.  If someone could drop those off as well, that would be wonderful!

2015-2016 School Year Restocking

It happens every single time.  Summer flies by and there just isn't enough time.  We blink and it's time to put away the swim trunks and go get school supplies.  Bear Necessities will, again, be serving students at John Weldon Elementary and Frances Howell Middle School.  It has been a privilege to see this community of people surround these schools and make sure that no child goes hungry any day of the week! 

Our actual numbers will come in within the first few weeks of school after applications to the program have gone home and been returned.  In the mean time we are preparing the pantry and creating our online sign ups.  Inventory has been taken and we see that there will be some immediate food needs in order to fulfill our commitment to the kids.  The following items need to be restocked:

oatmeal*
ritz crackers*
easy mac envelopes*
fruit cups*
applesauce*
nutragrain bars*
raisins
chili
beefaroni
tuna

*item is sent home multiple weekends per month

As you are preparing for the school year, please remember to pick up a few items from the list! 

Thank you so much to everyone who contributes, whether it be through prayer or food donation!

Last week of school needs

This is the last post until summer.  Since next week is the last week of school, packing will happen on Monday and so we need everything THIS WEEKEND:

6 sleeves of ritz crackers
25 fruit cups
26 applesauce cups

If you can pick up just a couple of things, it all adds up and is so appreciated!

Thanks!

What we need

Just 25 days of school left… wait a minute.  Maybe you didn't grasp the fullness of that…

JUST 25 DAYS OF SCHOOL LEFT!!!!

Maybe it's the kid in me but I totally love summer break, which is weird because I'm totally a lover of routine but I'm a bigger lover of more time with my kids!

We have recently had a large donation from the great people at the Elk's Lodge and that has supplied us with most everything we have needed the last couple of months.  This week was going to be the first week with several items to list but then this crazy thing happened… a faithful donor and volunteer asked what we will need next week.  That isn't so crazy.  She does that a lot and will let me know what item she plans to purchase and then I don't include that item on the online listing.  Here's the crazy thing:  this week she didn't buy just one thing on the list, she bought everything on our list!  Did you get that?  SHE BOUGHT EVERYTHING ON THE LIST!

The faith and faithfulness of some of the members of this community blows me away and challenges me to be more bold in my own faith.  It's really amazing to see some community members sacrificing so that no kid is hungry!

So, since there are no food needs this week, I would like to ask for something else.  Prayer.  Will you pray with me?  Here are the things I'm asking you to pray about:

• Please pray that God will heap blessings on those who sacrifice to give and serve through Bear Necessities.
• Please pray that the families who receive food will know that it is the Lord Jesus who supplies it for them.
• Please pray that those who have been wanting to give but are afraid or busy will not delay anymore.
• Please pray for the team of middle school girls who work every single week to set up will grow to love Jesus, know their identity in Him and be a light to all around them. 
• Please pray that God will be glorified through our program and the other Bear Necessities programs that have recently started at other schools.

I snuck that last thing in, didn't I?  If you're on Facebook you might have seen a post about this but maybe not.  A year and a half ago I met with two teachers from a different school and a mom.  The teachers were finished having hungry kids in their classrooms and ready to be a liaison between God, the community and the school.  The mom sends her kids to a private school but wanted to teach those private school kids about the needs in their own community.  I gave them everything I had.  None of it was ever mine.  From day one this has been God's idea and so I simply shared what had been given to me.  Recently they began Bear Necessities programs and I nearly jumped up off the couch when I saw that they'd not only started but were being so well received!  From the beginning God impressed upon me that He did, in fact, provide enough food for us all, that He desired to feed ALL the children and that if one would simply be a liaison in a community, NO CHILD SHOULD BE HUNGRY! Praise God for his continued provision for his children!