“Recent research shows that many children who do not have enough to eat wind up with diminished capacity to understand and learn. Children don’t have to be starving for this to happen. Even mild undernutrition – the kind most common among poor people in America – can do it.” ~Carl Sagan

I am grateful to know many wonderful people with hearts for helping those in need and at Evergreen Lutheran Church one of the many, many people who fall into this category is Shelley Harmon. Over the years she has been drawn to help those in need of food, the hungry. She was instrumental in organizing a group from ELC to feed the inner city hungry in Denver. She had her then young boys help right along side all of us and noticed the difference it made to them at such a young age. She had two take aways from that experience, the love of volunteering with her boys and feeding the hungry is the right thing to do. A child in school should not have difficulty concentrating on their subjects due to a hungry tummy.

Last year Shelly along with our previous youth minister started the Evergreen area’s Backpack Program. This serves the hungry children who attend the schools in Evergreen. Sadly there was more need than they thought. The first year there were 20 children at one elementary school who needed this program. Within three months of the school year left another school contacted them and they signed up ten children in the first week. This year they offered it to eight schools and have seven schools that are participating. They are sending home 60 backpacks per week and also make sure the children have enough food for long weekends and holiday breaks. They provide them with one breakfast, one lunch and two snacks for everyday they are not in school. The program's mission statement is to "keep children full and focused" throughout the school year.

This year Shelley runs the program with four other women along with our youth minister, Kelsey. On Tuesday nights adults can volunteer to sort and pack. On Wednesday nights parents and children can work together and get these backpacks ready to send home on Friday. She said that this has been a community effort, not just people from our church or the rotary. Kids as young as five volunteer and parents from all of our schools come to help. Most importantly the children that are enrolled in the program seem to like picking up their backpacks. They have had wonderful feedback from the families who use the program. As Shelly said, " I just cannot imagine being hungry. These families have all sorts of reasons why they need the program and although she does not ask, they often share their stories. I am just so happy that they have trusted us and allowed us to help. “

I am so deeply grateful for Shelly’s work and the Mountain Backpack Program volunteers.

Proverbs 14:31: Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him.

Peace