When 60 kids gather for a week of Vacation Bible School, one can expect to hear a lot of joyful noise: boisterous singing, competitive screams during game time, and cheerful banter during crafts. But recently at Saluda River Baptist Church in West Columbia, one could also hear participants talk excitedly about the offering they brought – canned goods for the food pantry at Lexington Interfaith Community Services (LICS).
Preschool participants Landon Nobs and Erica Bryant find their prayers answered when the food collection goal is exceeded by the end of the week.During the summer months, food pantry shelves empty quickly, said Jenny Kennedy, executive director of LICS. “When children are home from school and not receiving the schools’ food services, many of our community’s parents need help to feed their families,” she said.
Saluda River Baptist set a goal to collect 1,000 food items during their five-day VBS. Their motivation came from a recently published statistic: 21 percent of South Carolina children do not have enough food to eat.
On the first night of VBS, only 23 items were contributed. The next night, participants brought 19 more. By night three, a total of 120 items had been placed in the collection box. Almost half of that number had been collected by a 5-year-old girl who pulled her wagon around her neighborhood with brothers and sisters to ask neighbors for help. The young girl shared her story with everyone at Vacation Bible School. That was the spark that ignited determination once again to reach the week’s goal.
When students returned for night four of VBS, their offerings brought the canned goods number to 290 – respectable for the small group of participants, but still far from the goal. VBS leaders reminded the children that no one expected them to bring the items all on their own. “When you ask God for help, God-sized things happen,” said George Skinner, the church’s student minister.
On the final night, God showed up and answered those prayers. Local retailers had been approached throughout the day as students and families asked for any discounts they might provide to make their collections go further. A grocery gift card was left anonymously in the church office. By then, 555 items were stacked around the front of the stage. As children arrived for the VBS finale, they brought close to 400 more items. Only two hours remained. Would the collecting end there?
Church member Bill Coen welcomes kids and families during registration and accepts their donations each night.It did not. VBS leaders and parents reached into their pockets and sent a church member to the closest grocery store. When he returned, a triumphant crowd gathered to help unload the last 90 items that would push Saluda River Baptist just over the 1,000-food-item mark for the week.
One might have heard the screaming from the sanctuary that night as Skinner announced the final collection number: 1,048 food items for LICS’ food pantry. “Kids, you have made a difference in our community,” he said. “You are feeding families who need it most.”
When Jenny Kennedy arrived to officially receive the food offering on behalf of LICS, she told the kids it was far more than she expected, and badly needed. The final count reached 1,100 items (some parents brought additional food when they picked up their children) and weighed in at 1,078 pounds.
Skinner encouraged the families and children to not let the fire go out on their passion for helping people. “This may be the end of VBS week, but don’t ever stop looking out for your neighbors when they need help,” he said.