When folks come out for group retreats at Corhaven, we often suggest that they bring a donation of food to offer to a ministry out here in Shenandoah County called “Luke’s Backpack”.  What’s this all about?  It’s a tragically common problem and a surprisingly simple way to address it.

One in five children in Shenandoah County suffers from what is technically called ‘food insecurity’, but which most of us call ‘hunger’.  Almost 50% of students in the Shenandoah County School District are receiving a free or reduced meal plan.  The thought of this many families who are unable to provide healthy meals for their children in our area is heartbreaking. The children are not only in need of meals throughout the week, but also over the weekend and during holiday breaks.  In other words, if kids are relying on school meals to help supplement their food intake…what happens when school’s not in session?

That’s where this program in our area called Luke’s Backpack comes in.  Every Friday, children in our three local elementary schools (including Ashby Lee, where the Haley kids go) can qualify to take home a backpack of food. Each backpack includes non-perishable food items to make meals to last them through the weekend.  The backpacks are then returned to the school on Mondays and refilled with donated food from the community by volunteers.    So when folks come out here for a group retreat and bring some of the suggested food items, that’s where the food goes…into a backpack, then into a child’s stomach on a weekend.

The retreatants at Corhaven have an opportunity to help these children in need on a local level.  Most of our retreatants are asked to bring non-perishable food items to be taken to the schools and distributed to the backpack recipients.  And you do!  Each retreat we fill up a little garden trailer full of food that we then take over to Ashby Lee Elementary School to give to Luke’s Backpack.  Over the last year you have helped feed countless children in need of food, and for that, we can only give God glory and great thanks to you who have brought food for the kids.

Often times we think of brokenness because of lack of food in other areas in the world, but the reality is that we also deal with the issue here in our own communities.  Hunger is certainly not just an urban issue, brokenness is everywhere.  This is one of our ways of trying to patch the brokenness, to love the poor, to take care of kids, to feed hungry people, out here in the country.  If you are interested in learning more about the Luke’s Backpack ministry, click here.

And when you come out to a group retreat at Corhaven, and bring a few items or a few bags of food… on behalf of the kids of Shenandoah County, “Thank you!”