Grant Helps Hunger

St. Matthew, Bloomsburg, was awarded a Daily Bread Grant from ELCA World Hunger.  They have two on-going feeding ministries including a Community Blessings Box and the Bloomsburg Food Cupboard.

In May, the congregation will start its 17th year of monthly food donations to the local Bloomsburg Food Cupboard.  Each month, they focus on a specific food item (agreed upon by the Food Cupboard), gathering donations throughout that month, and then delivering the food for about 350 households in the community each week.  In February, they supplemented the Food Cupboard donation with $84 worth of Fruit Cups for Panther Packs.  Each weekend or school break, elementary students in the Panther Pack program (Bloomsburg Area School District) are sent home with a bag of breakfast, lunch and snack items.

Their Community Blessings Box at the front of their church was built by a member as his Eagle Scout project.  It is currently stocked several times a week with non-perishable food (and some personal care items, hats, gloves, socks, etc.) for anyone in the neighborhood who is in need.  The congregation donates food for the box every week, and we supplement it by purchasing food as well.