Volunteers are needed here at Bethel UCC on March 19 at 9 AM to bag food and/or drive it to Beaverton High School!
Matthew 25:35-36 guides our behavior toward others: "...for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me." Recognizing our common humanity and desiring a fair allocation of community resources is a golden thread running through the Bible.
Beaverton High Principal Anne Erwin challenged the Community Team to find a way to support homeless teens during Spring and Winter Breaks when school district food programs are closed. Bethel chose to take this project on. Many other Churches and groups help us. Holy Trinity Church, Jesuit High School Alumni, St. Cecelia School, Safeway, New Seasons and other groups have teamed up with Bethel to let these students know we care about them. We also have a dedicated group of seamstresses who make a canvas sling bag for each student.
“...for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.”
Maybe you’ve wondered how we assemble the food for the High School homeless students. The school lets us know the number of students and any unusual needs. We have 110 students identified as homeless at Beaverton High for this Spring Break. About 8 weeks before the delivery of the food, we draw up a list of potential meals and think about what foods we have available to us through Oregon Food Bank. First, we choose USDA foods. Then we look at low cost foods and lastly at the slightly reduced in price foods available through OFB. We also think about what foods teens prefer and foods that might be easy to prepare. We make sure there are snacks! We order food over the seven week period leading up to delivery at the school. Fortunately, various people contribute money and foods that make the project work! Each student receives gift cards they can use to buy fresh food.
Right now, we are looking for a few specific things:
- Enough cans of high protein ‘chunky’ soup to give each student 2 cans. We are well on our way to this goal
- Cash donations to pay for purchased food
- Volunteers on March 19 at 9 AM to bag food and/or drive it to Beaverton High School
Thanks to each and every person who makes this project a success. One student who benefited from your generosity told a counselor, “Who would care about me?” The answer is obvious. Bethel members and friends and the Beaverton community members care.