Crittenden church taking orders for food boxes

I’ve mentioned Angel Food Ministries from time to time, as a means of stretching precious food dollars. Unfortunately, they ceased operations in September. Fortunately, Ebenezer UMC in Crittenden has found a replacement service. Good Faith Food Boxes are provided through Idaho food purveyor and supplier Treasure Valley Food Group. Orders may be taken online or at Ebenezer on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The first order was in December, and several area churches used this as an opportunity to order pre-packaged boxes instead of holiday food baskets for folks in need. Generally, there are five or six main-course items, several vegetables, some side dishes, breads, breakfast items and a dessert bonus. Retail value is $65; your cost is $35. Boxes of meat can be ordered separately. I’m told issues with the EBT system (Electronic Benefit Transfer, food stamps) are being resolved. Ebenezer’s program coordinator Chris Kelter is excited about the program, and is hoping other area churches will coordinate with his efforts. The deadline for the March 16 delivery is March 5. Call Chris at Ebenezer at 238-2359 or visit the Food Faith website at www.goodfaithfoodbox.org.

North Suffolk student artists dominate this quarter’s gallery hanging on the second floor of the ODU Tri-Cities Higher Education Center at 1070 University Blvd, just off College Drive. Third-graders Nyjah Johnson, Keshany Bright, Duane Miller and Ryan Jean from Creekside Elementary did watercolors with a Chinese influence. Joey Dorrell and Antwaan Mackey, also from Creekside, did personal interpretations of spider webs. Oakland Elementary fifith-graders Arianna Whitehead and Charles Ricks had pointillism landscapes; Cyrus Lagumen a colorful red, green and blue mandala; and the fish of Kayla Sanzo and Caleb Gibson were done in a crayon resist method. Northern Shores fifth-graders Tina Nguyen, Kaitlin Cross and Rebecca Leman all had bright masks on display. From Nansemond Parkway Elementary, Orin Lemaster had a wonderfully constructed beaver, Paige Breneman a playful penguin and Terran Butler a snowy winter landscape. John Yeates Middle was represented by Katie Henk’s oil pastel, Christian Roads’ copper piece and Taylor Fontenot’s batik. King’s Fork Middle eighth-graders Emma Marston and Gina Kissell have text and painting collages on display. Stop by and browse just about anytime; this Suffolk group will be on display until June 5.

While we’re still in midwinter cocooning mode, it’s a great time to mention the Cradle and All Children’s Consignment Sale set for April 12-14 at Ebenezer UMC, 1589 Steeple Drive. Why now? Because if you have overflowing storage issues with clothes, toys and accessories, it takes a bit of time and organization to get things properly tagged and in order for a successful consignment. As a relatively new grandmother, I really appreciate the ground rules Ruth DiGeorge  and Alice White have set for consignees; guarantees that everything works, has fresh batteries, and is NOT on a safety product recall list. Clothing has to be sorted as to gender and size and put on properly facing hangers.

Sixth-graders in Jason Stump’s MATHmazing class at King’s Fork Middle have been doing lots more than math this year. Students have collected more than 100 miscellaneous items for the Western Tidewater Free Clinic, 500 nonperishable food items and almost 50 coats, and they are only halfway through the school year. The Souper Bowl collections a few weeks back were a big hit, since students could put their donated soup cans in either a Giants or Patriots container. Mr. Stump uses these charitable efforts to bring consumer word problems alive for students. He invites fellow Jaguars and Suffolk citizens to bring any donations to his B211 classroom. If you’d like to know more, call 923-5246.                                                   

Do you have a story to share about yourself or a neighbor? Please let me know at k.billue@charter.net.

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