First Methodist donates to city schools’ food pantries

Clinton City Schools received more aid in its ongoing fight against food insecurity among students in the school system. The support this go-around was a gift card donated to the Board of Education for use in helping stock the system’s two food pantries.

The funds were presented during the board’s recent meeting. Members of First Methodist Church gave a small presentation that afternoon with the Rev. Matt Seals speaking briefly before handing superintendent Dr. Wesley Johnson the $1,000 gift card, funds raised for the program which their church has run for years.

“For 14 years now, we at First Methodist have organized the program called BackPack Buddies,” he said. “It began on a kitchen, dining room table, and now all the materials and supplies are housed in Sunset Avenue. We have been blessed to be able to be a blessing through that ministry and that program.

“It’s not just First Methodist, it’s many community partnerships that make that possible. Many groups within the community donate toward that ministry to feed our children and our community,” Seals stressed.

In those 14 years, the program has grow tremendously and helped pave the way for the two food pantries that have e opened within CCS at Clinton High and Sampson Middle. With the continual growth of those two programs, Seals said they’re shifting their aim to focus more on supporting the pantries.

“Years ago, I don’t remember how long it has been, but the high school and the middle schools developed pantries, and so we’re no longer doing Backpack Buddies in those places,” he said. “Instead, we decided to make a shift to then support those programs by giving gift cards, and we do that on a semester basis.

“That’s what we’ve brought here today, we’ve come with gift cards for both the high school and the middle school, a $1,000 for the year to support the food pantries at both of those places. Dianne (Cox), here with me, is one of our BackPack Buddy packers, and she has been here since the beginning of it.

“Her and her husband Steve have been part of this for a long time, and we’re just appreciative of them, this opportunity and the blessings we receive that we can then pass on and bless others.”

Cox did the honor of handing the check to Johnson, highlighting that they’ll still be building and distributing bags for BackPack Buddies.

“Here are the gift cards, and I just wanted to say one thing,” she said. “Pastor Seals covered everything I was going to say, of course, about this going to the pantry for the high school and the middle school. I do want all of you to know about the bags that we packed. Those will still be offered to LC Kerr, Butler Avenue and Sunset. This is very, very heartwarming for us to be able to get that for you all so that the schools can get food for their pantries.”

First Methodist BackPack Buddies program is a food ministry providing bags of non-perishable food items to children throughout Clinton City Schools. Last year, alone, on average, the organization distributed more than 250 bags of food each week during the school year.

Both CCS food pantries open ever Friday and are completely free for students.