The team effort BCS puts into “Feeding Tomorrow’s Future Today,” a local child hunger program, is truly amazing. It begins with anonymous donors agencywide dropping needed items in the collection box in the front lobby, which are then sorted in the former workshop area.

Once a month, Chris Thacker and a group of Day Habilitation consumers deliver the items to the packing site at the Wells County 4-H Park. The Self Advocates then report to the 4-H Park that same week on Wednesday evening to pack food and load bags slated for delivery into a BCS minibus. The next morning the Thursday Guys Group – another Day Hab program – delivers the food to the designated school.

In recent months longtime self advocate Sarah Kirkpatrick has taken to inviting people from around the agency to participate in the packing process. During the December packing session she invited Linda Bricker – former agency nurse, current cooking instructor and a longtime local food pantry volunteer -- to help pack.

Sarah proved to be a stern taskmaster. “Are you going to watch, or are you going to help?” Sarah said as she took Linda around the packing table and explained the process.

Each bag got one box of cereal, one can of hamburger, one can of kidney beans, one can of tomatoes, one can of fruit, one box of granola bars, three lollipops, six small bags of chips, one small bag of fresh fruit and one loaf of bread.

“I think six bags of chips are too many,” Sarah noted, but she dutifully counted them out nonetheless. Linda, no stranger to local food pantry efforts, quickly mastered the process and was soon packing two bags at once.

“It was fun,” she said, noting she plans to come back and help again when she can.

The next morning, Nathan Carper and Jacob Snow helped deliver the food bags to Southern Wells. Nathan said “it feels good” to help out kids in need.

Jacob agreed, noting it is a neat feeling to return to his old school as a community volunteer.