Abernethy Memorial works hand in hand with school to feed children

Backpacks in school aren't such an unusual sight, unless they're loaded with food and carried by church volunteers.
The backpacks provide food for some of the children who attend Rutherford College Elementary and their families. Abernethy Memorial United Methodist Church in Rutherford College and Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina supply and deliver the food.
Principal Becky Roach explained that the school often receives calls from people asking where food is available.
"This is providing continuity each Friday to the children who take home food over the weekend," she said. "It is a great ministry."
The participating children take home food for their families each Friday. That way, they're sure to have food over the weekend. The youngsters bring back the book bags on Monday.
The Rev. Sally Queen, pastor of Abernethy Memorial UMC, said the partnership developed through the United Methodist Church's Hand in Hand ministry. It equips churches to collaborate with local schools to help children.
"Through this," she said, "churches develop relationships with schools that are in close proximity. It is one way to provide hands-on ministry to the school."
Additional support for Hand in Hand comes from the North Carolina and western N.C. conferences of the church, Methodist Homes for Children, Communities in Schools of North Carolina and the Duke Endowment.
"This is what we're here for, it's our purpose," said volunteer Joan Benfield. "We feel it is the least we can do to let them know we care."
Queen said the church also provides snacks for some of their after-school tutoring and some ladies from the congregation help out at the school.
Volunteers from Abernethy Memorial UMC also eat lunch with children from Rutherford College Elementary. Queen said she herself has two lunch buddies.
"There is such an outpouring of love for our students," Roach said. "This would not have happened for the 30 families that receive food every week without Abernethy Memorial UMC."
"This is a caring faith community who has reached out to our school not only with the food ministry," she added, "but also in order to provide Christmas for these families."
Roach said it is one of the greatest things she's experienced as an educator. She said the collaboration between the church and the school helps Rutherford College Elementary be a safe haven for the kids, "and that is a blessing from above."
Kay Carter, executive director of Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina, said the backpacks are loaded with kid friendly and appealing snacks and ready-serve meals — "Things kids like, yet provide foods with nutritional value."
"We were anxious to get the program in Burke County and this is the first backpack program in Burke County," Carter said. She views the program as a welcome addition to Second Harvest's ongoing food ministry that distributed 1.7 million pounds to partner agencies in Burke County in 2008-2009.
"The reason we started this is that we knew children in school were getting meals, but we became concerned what was happening with the children on weekends and holidays," Carter said.
The backpack program started three years ago. Today it's helping 59 schools. Churches sponsor 17 of them.
Determining students' eligibility to receive the free food is the school's responsibility, Carter said. Second Harvest fills the backpacks that volunteers from Abernethy Memorial pick up twice a month and deliver to the school.
"I think they've gotten real involved with this group of children," Carter said. "When a company or church gets involved with our backpack program, we encourage the partnership to transcend the backpack program. Ideally, it builds relationships between the school and community and it is a wonderful program."
"The children just love it and they are so excited to receive these backpacks," Carter continued. "When a child gets that excited about food, you know they need it."
Churches interested in taking part in the Backpack Program through Second Harvest can contact Carter or David Brown, Kids Program coordinator, at (704) 376-1785.