A little spark

An old proverb says a little spark can kindle a great fire. A classroom of of first graders at Sugar Creek Elementary provided that little spark. The fire grew and warmed many people.

Miss Lyons first grade class watched a video of the devastation Hurricane Harvey caused in Texas. The classs began brainstorming ways they could offer help to the people in Texas. They idea they landed on was a food drive.

Miss Lyons was accquainted with Midwest Food Bank volunteer Bill Dunbar, and that helped them decide on MFB as the recipient of their collection. As a Salvation Army first responder, MFB sent over 48 semi loads of diaster relief, including family food boxes, to Texas and Florida in the fall of 2017. The food boxes include enough food to feed a family of four for 4 to 5 days.

What started in Miss Lyons' class, soon spread to the rest of Sugar Creek Elementary. The class enlisted the help of a fifth rade class to make fliers on the computer. The whole school began collecting food for the hurricane vistims.

One student in Miss Lyons' class, Jazmin, had an especially selfless idea. For her birthday party, Jazmin asked her guests to bring a food donation instead of presents. That gesture resulted in 27 pounds of food donations.

One parent had a special story to relate. Her son, normally very shy, took the mission to heart. "He took his wagon door-to-door in his neighborhood, introduced himself, and collected donations," his mom reported. His passion reulted in a pickup truck bed full of food.

At the end of the food drive, Miss Lyons' asked Bill if he could come and pick up the donation. The final total? Over 1,600 pounds of food!

The class followed up the drive with a tour of Midwest Food Bank. While there, they were delighted to be able to see Bill again.

There are great examples of selflessness every day at Midwest Food Bank. Volunteers give of their time and talents for the benefit of others. What a blessing to see that generous spirit in children.