News Article
WBCT Donates to Food2Kids and Share the Blessings
Published on: December 20, 2016
Winder-Barrow Community Theatre recently finished a Christmas show which was used as a fund raiser for two local charities. "Harmony Baptist Ladies Auxiliary Christmas Jubilee" by Georgia author, Laura King, was performed by actors from WBCT, and all of the profit from the shows was donated to Food2Kids and Share the Blessings. The audience members also donated money as they enjoyed baked goodies provided by the cast and crew of the show. A check for $1115 was given to each charity.
Food2Kids
The most essential school supply is food!. While paper, pencils, crayons, markers and book-bags are important school supplies for success, over 250 students in Barrow County struggle and carry an extra burden --- the worry that they will not have enough food to eat when they aren't at school. School isn't just a place for learning --- for some of our most impoverished students it is the only reliable source of food in their lives. Maslow's hierarchy of needs tells us that if a child's basic needs aren't met (food, water, shelter, clothing, etc...) then no higher level thinking or learning can occur. How can someone learn if they are hungry and don't know when their next meal will be?
Food 2 Kids Barrow seeks to close the hunger gap for hungry local children through a cooperative program with the Food Bank of NEGA, a non-profit agency. Weekend bags of nutritious, kid- friendly food are purchased by BCSS from the Food Bank of NEGA and sent home with over 200 Barrow students on Fridays, so they will have food to eat from Friday supper until Sunday supper on the weekends. It costs $275.00 to sponsor one child for the school year or $365 to sponsor one child for a complete calendar year. Each food bag costs roughly $7.00, so for a dollar a meal, you can make a true difference in the life of a Barrow child. The food bag contains 6 meals and 2 snacks for each child, and any monetary amount is helpful as many children are co-sponsored in Food 2 Kids Barrow. 100% of donations go directly toward purchasing food for local children in need. Checks can be made out to: Barrow County School System with "Food 2 Kids-Barrow" in the memo section.
To donate directly to the Barrow County account at the Food Bank of NEGA go online to: http://foodbanknega.org/donate; then click on "Hunger Programs" and scroll to "Food 2 Kids Barrow" to donate.
If you'd like additional information about Food 2 Kids Barrow and how to help, please contact us at 770-867-4527 or ellen.petree@barrow.k12.ga.us or Shannon.derrick@barrow.k12.ga.us.
Share the Blessings
In 2001, some White Oak Spring Missionary Baptist Church members were having Thanksgiving dinner together, and they noticed that an abundance of leftovers were going to be thrown away. James Albert Johnson couldn't bear the thought of throwing away the leftovers so he and his grandson, TJ, decided to take the leftover food and make plates to distribute to those in need. They distributed 17 plates that day to homeless men along with encouraging conversations.
Albert was stirred with compassion for the people in the community who were homeless, living in poverty and struggling with life, and he asked the members of White Oak Spring Missionary Baptist Church if they would minister to the community during Christmas time, specifically on Christmas Day, so that individuals who did not have family would not be alone. His passion led the church to provide food, clothing, and toiletries to over 200 individuals living in the local Winder community.
When asked what was the purpose and passion for this event, Albert responded by stating, “We were only sharing the blessings from God with others.” Henceforth, this outreach and collaboration has since been called "Share the Blessing." Over the years, more churches, organizations, social groups, and individuals have joined together on Christmas Day by donating their time and resources to provide services such as clothing, food boxes, barber services, healthcare services & awareness, hot meals, social and economic services, and toys to hundreds of people from Barrow and surrounding counties.
Now in its 16th year and over 9000 meals served….SHARE THE BLESSINGS operates under Spirit of Sharing, Inc. as a 501c3 organization (EIN: 45-3006709). Sharing involves providing the basic necessities of food, clothing, and shelter along with education on local community resources to empower those in need to live productive lives that contribute to the community. Caring involves being a helping hand, instead of a hand out, by providing a support system to enable individuals to become self-sufficient.
For more information, please visit the website at Spiritofsharinginc.org.
For more information about WBCT and other upcoming events and shows, please see the website at www.winderbarrowtheatre.org.
Photo: representatives from both organizations meet with the cast and crew of the show
