Coincidences? We think not!

Some may think they are coincidences, but we do not. We have perhaps one hundred of them. We can share them all if you would like!
When we were starting the School Program, we were putting out the food for Clay County South for the Clay City Elementary schools for Marie Bettenbrock to pick up for the week. We were putting out the food for Fall Break. As we counted out the food, we realized we did not have the peanut butter crackers picked up yet, much to our dismay. We needed 35 packages at that point. As we unpacked a box of cereal donations from Forest Park Elementary thanks to Kae Smith, we got to the bottom. It was a box of cereal as far as we knew. At the bottom was 35 package of peanut butter crackers. Exactly. Just what we needed.
Then there was the grape jelly. Someone donated three jars of grape jelly during the school year. We can’t really use it except at Christmas, but there it was. Then a teacher shared a story. She had had student who was attempting to take the grape jelly packs out of the cafeteria because the child loved grape jelly and her family never had it. Guess where those three jars of grape jelly went?
Then there is the time the we needed peanut butter. We counted it three times. We were short 34 jars. Yet, somehow, when we went back, we had enough. We have no idea where it came from!
Every person who donates tells us “I am sorry. I know it is not enough.” Yet every time we put it all together, we have exactly enough. Thank you all for giving what you can, and it always is enough. Someone is in charge and it isn’t us.
We are facing Christmas 2018 with love, hope and faith!
• • •
We would like to explain our logo and share some of the thank you notes from the kids. Right before last Thanksgiving, a group of kids in a local elementary school, sent us some thank you cards they made themselves. All of them are touching and special.
There was one, however, that was the simplest, the most touching and heartbreaking. It was a heart that had been cut out on red construction paper and simply said, “Thank you I don’t have to werry now.” It was what this child simply wrote as a thank you for the food they receive and said it all.
Everyone who makes this Program possible may not meet our kids. Many of the Summer Program Volunteers do, but many of the others who give their time and donate food and money, will never meet our kids.
Many of these kids we deliver food to daily in the summer, at Christmas and in a local elementary school. These thank you notes are from them last November.
We have kept them all and have pictures of them all, but here is a few thank you from our kids, in their words, spelling and writing to our community:
“Dear back Pack People, Thank you for the food you give us. Thank you for taking your time for us. The food is good to really good. I hope you do this for uther kids to. Cause uther kids will need it to. They’ll thank you for the food and help that you give us. I relly appreciate all the time you put into do this for us.”
“I’m thankful because on the weekends we have food for me and my coisins to eat so we have food.”
“I thank you for the food because it helps my mom. Since she don’t have a car and has MS. She can’t get around much, so that helps. Thank you. Thank for the help and water bottle.” (We delivery water daily in the summer and at Christmas.)
“Dear people that get me food on Fridays, Thank you for your kindness. You bring us food in white bags on all Fridays. I am thankfull for all of your hard work you help a lot. I don’t know what to do without you guys here. I give the things that don’t taste good to me to my family members. Keep up the good work!”
“Thank you for being nice.”
“Dear Vounteers, Thank you for packing our food you take all of your time just packing this for us. You must like doing this when I go home I share my food with my family all the time I get it.”
“Thank you for provideing the food we need for our family. We thank you for that you do. We love you.”
“I am thankful for the food I get on the weekend because it relly helped people that don’t have that much and you guyes are very kind and that makes me happy when you guyes sepend your mony to us on us so we have food and I just want to think you for how kind of a person your are to give use food and also have a nice Thanksgiving and good day speendinig thime with your family. Now I gonna rapet it up and thank you again for everything you do for use. “
“I am very thank ful that you are giving me food for my home. Me and my mom are very thankful I really apprishiate you doing this for people.”
Thank you from our kids and thank your to our community for making this possible.