“Feel Good Friday” – Buddy Bags filled with Hearts of Gold by Lisa J.
Photos by Marcy Jamrok
Irish smiles, four leaf clovers, rainbows, Hometown Happenings and pots of gold are only a few ways you’ll know March 17th is St. Patrick’s Day. You read that right, Hometown Happenings will be hitting the pavement to sponsor a great cause in our community. Sporting green everything and kicking off the night with the St. Pat’s Pre-Parade 1 Miler, a 1-mile race down Main Street before Crown Point’s night time parade, we are hoping to get you excited for the parade and the amazing Buddy Bags program.
A program idea borrowed and implemented in 2017 by First United Methodist’s Church’s Director of Outreach and Mission, Bonnie Meyer, Buddy Bags is a way to assist children on the free lunch program with weekend supplemental nutrition. First introduced to Bonnie by Pastor Jeff Newton of Kokomo Urban Outreach, this Buddy Bag program has now become a “lucky charm” in Crown Point elementary schools, MacArthur and Timothy Ball.
With the help of local churches, First Christian Reformed, Cross Point and Hillside Community, along with various volunteer groups, Bonnie and company pack approximately 314 Buddy Bags every Tuesday. Consisting of easy to prepare, single serving meals, each bag is filled with breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack for both Saturday and Sunday and delivered to the schools.
I had the pleasure of meeting Bonnie and a group of volunteers from Campagna Academy, and I cannot say enough about the process, execution and program itself. Shelves were stocked with donations, everyone was at a station and as I talked to Bonnie about the program’s origination and Crown Point schools’ statistics, you could see the passion of the project in her eyes. While the numbers and the need surprised me, what filled my heart was when I asked if they were ever short on volunteers to pack, and her enthusiastic response was “rarely ever”.
Utilizing funds from grants, donations and awards from foundations such as Legacy and Crown Point Community Foundation, Bonnie has never missed a weekend, and has even been able to add a little surprise to each bag. With Bonnie’s efforts and a solid team behind her, the program continues to grow, and with that growth comes continued need, which is why Hometown is a proud sponsor through their St. Pat’s Pre-Parade 1 Miler this year.
If you are looking for a wonderful program to donate to, volunteer for or even promote, look no further. Buddy Bags is a cause close to our homes and our hearts, helping children stay energized through the weekend so they can succeed in the week ahead. Interested in learning how you can help? Check out the Buddy Bags website at https://fumccp.org/buddy-bags/ for more information, or visit Bonnie at the Volunteer Fair at Crown Point High from 10-2 this Saturday (3/2).
On a side note, not only did Bonnie start Buddy Bags, host 17 exchange students, travel to Roatan, Honduras to build a church, and plays the guitar, she is also a children’s book author! Writer of The Adventures of Kicker the frog and Flinnder the butterfly, a story of unlikely friends, Bonnie infuses life lessons throughout her beautifully illustrated five-book series. If you have a fascination with books, have little ones or just want to check out our hometown hero, you can read more on her author’s page at https://kickerandflinnder.com/meet-the-author/ .
We hope you join us for the fun, the green and the great cause on St. Patrick’s Day this year, and we hope you do so with excitement and joy in your hearts of gold. We look forward to seeing you at the finish line as we kick off the first signs of spring with laughter and unity!
Still need to sign up, no worries, click here for registration: https://runsignup.com/Race/IN/CrownPoint/StPats1Miler