In January of this year discussions began about expanding our vegetable and fruit table offerings.
Currently there was a once-a-month June to October table setup at the Bethlehem Emergency Sheltering Weekend Lunch program, where 80-120 homeless or food insecure neighbors gather on Saturday or Sunday for lunch.
There were also connections to a new pantry at the Bethlehem – Fountain Hill Elementary School. Here we wanted to place our frozen meals on location for families in need. The need for fresh vegetables and fruit became the obvious need. If we were going to do it for one school, why not all 8 Community Schools in Bethlehem. This program was launched at the Freezer Ministry Gathering late February, with over 100 attendees representing 17 churches or organizations.
How would we do this? –
There is a Gathering program where churches can gather on Sundays and bring the vegetable and fruits to East Hills Moravian Church by 10 AM on Tuesday of distribution weeks. Connections have been established with local farms, local gardens and Second Harvest – part of Feed America for many items. To fill the gaps, we purchase wholesale. The future holds new connections and gardens to be planted.
On Tuesday of distribution week, a band of willing volunteers along with trucks or SUVs meet at Second Harvest to pick-up approximately 2,500 lbs. of product, return to East Hills to load the dropped off or purchased balance. The 3 tons, soon to be 4 tons, of vegetable and fruits that have been loaded, now begin their journey to 7 community school locations for unloading, in preparation for them to hand out on Wednesdays. By November, there will be over 60,000 lbs. or 30 tons of vegetable and fruits distributed. The goal is to keep the program’s cost below $ .20 – $ .25 per lb.
The BAM Freezer Ministry is able to do this because of the support received from BAM Ministry, Moravian Ministries Foundation Grants, area churches, individual donors and several fund raisers. If you would like to be part of this, send a check to East Hills Moravian Church, with a note for the Freezer Ministry and mail to 1830 Butztown Rd., Bethlehem, PA 18017. Thanks
This is a much longer story with so many thank yous and examples of the Spirit leading us.
Following is the perspective from the Community Schools –
When looking to expand a ministry, the schools are always a great option. The Bethlehem Area School District is a big district and knowing where to begin can be difficult. However, we are fortunate to have several schools that are designated as Community Schools by the United Way. Those schools have a coordinator that already works closely with families and helps them as needed. This coupled with the fact that some of these schools already contain food pantries that provide food for the families and the community made these schools perfect to help expand the ministry.
Many schools already provide breakfast, lunch, and snacks for students. In addition, most community schools send food home to families weekly as well. A lot of the food given to families is processed or nonperishable items. Being able to provide families with fresh fruits and vegetables thrilled the community school coordinators. Some of the coordinators were even able to accept the offer of a refrigerator to hold the perishable food. In addition, each school received a large rolling shelf, bins, and bags to complete their distribution set up.
As the many trucks and volunteers delivered the fruits and vegetables, the coordinators were overly thankful and grateful. They knew that the impact that this food had on the families and communities would be great. Each site received approximately 1000 lbs. of fresh fruits and vegetables to distribute. The coordinators were excited to put the fresh food into bins and allow families, neighbors, and community members to take broccoli, zucchini, carrots, cauliflower, eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes, bananas, oranges, apples, grapes, plantains, blueberries, and more for their families to eat and enjoy.
As excited as the coordinators were, no one could have predicted what would happen. There was concern over what to do with any leftovers so that the food did not spoil. After the first distribution day, this would no longer be a problem. Most schools were wiped out of fruits and vegetables within thirty minutes. The families and community members were more than grateful for the fresh fruits and vegetables. Some of the kids ate some of them on the spot, people talked about how fresh and delicious everything was, and others told stories about what they were going to make with the food that they got that day.
Sometimes a small idea grows and grows. Although no one can tell how big this one will grow, it is clear that its impact has been great so far. Providing fresh fruits and vegetables to families, at a time when the cost of food is rising, is invaluable. Pantries and other organizations often provide food, but it is not always the healthiest or the freshest due to the constraints that they may have. This ministry has filled a void in the community and has been a blessing to all involved, especially the volunteers.
Mandi Ortwein
Bethlehem Area School District Teacher
East Hills Moravian Church Elder
Robert Wingrove
BAM Freezer Ministry and Garden Gatherers Coordinator
East Hills Moravian Church Elder