School is out, but thus far, due to the lack of sufficient resources, the Bonney Lake Summer Meals program will not be available this summer to serve meals on the Plateau to youth. I verified this with Bonney Lake Community Resources Director Stew Bowen Thursday after noting it on their website.
A couple possible options have presented themselves. One was CenturyLink announced its Backpack Buddies Feed the Children Food Drive, which took place during the week of June 3-7. This program helps local food banks feed kids over the summer when they are out of school and don’t have access to school breakfasts and lunches. For every pound of food collected, CenturyLink will donate up to $1 and for every $1 in cash/check donation received, it will donate up to $6 for the Bonney Lake Food Bank.
Stew said that he won’t know if the summer program can be saved until the money arrives from CenturyLink. Thank you to all who participated in that food drive and let’s keep our fingers crossed.
Of course, one of the best assets of the city of Bonney Lake is its employees. Police Chief Dana Powers challenged fellow city staff to a little contest to collect peanut butter, jam, jelly and money. In that short time, they did an excellent job and came up with 175 jars of peanut butter, 125 jars of jelly and $819 in cash/check donations. They brought more than 600 pounds of PB&J. Others around the community pitched in, too.
This will get the summer off to a start, but only a start. Without the summer program, the new challenge is how to provide youth in need with easy-to-prepare, nutritious foods all summer long. The kids and the food bank need your help so that peanut butter and jelly can be sent home with other food for the kids to self-serve, like the backpack program. Here are a few suggestions. These are kid-friendly foods that require little or no preparation:
Crackers
Single Serving Boxed Cereal/Oatmeal
Beans and Franks (pop-top can)
Fruit Cups
Beef Stew (pop-top can)
Snack Mixes
Raisins (snack size boxes)
Unrefrigerated Jell-O Cups
Vegetable Cups
Juice Boxes
Sunflower Seeds
Cereal Bars
Unrefrigerated Pudding Cups
Granola Bars
Unrefrigerated Chocolate Milk
Unrefrigerated White Milk
Why is peanut butter so important? Peanut butter does not have to be refrigerated or cooked, so it works well for even the homeless in our community. It has a long shelf life. It is kid friendly; children can self-serve while mom and/or dad are away at work. It is a good source of protein, folate (a B-vitamin), niacin, phosphorus and magnesium. It meets most religious restrictions on food.
Everyone knows that peanut butter is delicious. Here are some facts:
1. The average American child will eat 1,500 peanut butter sandwiches by the time he or she graduates from high school.
2. Consumers prefer creamy peanut butter to chunky by a 60 percent to 40 percent ratio. Children and women prefer creamy, and most men opt for chunky.
3. Americans eat about three pounds of peanut butter per person each year, totaling about 500 million pounds… enough to cover the floor of the Grand Canyon.
4. Peanuts are not a nut. Botanically classified as legumes, peanuts contain properties of both the bean/lentil and tree nuts.
So, as we wait to see if the summer program is a go due to the CenturyLink match, let’s work on an alternative plan and go with the self-serve method. Please donate.
Another option is you can plan on dining at the Snack Shack at Allan Yorke Park from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday as you enjoy a concert, sports, boating, the new shoreline part of the park, walking trails, playground or skate park. All profits support the Bonney Lake Food Bank.
And there will be a food bank fundraiser Hot August Nights Bonney Lake Style August 24, 2013 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be a bike/car show. Registration is $10. There will be a raffle (tickets starting at $1), hot dog eating contest (registration $3 to participate) and of course, non-perishable food and cash donations gladly accepted. Contact Sheri at 253-230-0982 or nhra652@q.com for more details. I have attended in the past and they have more vehicles to view at this car show than at Bonney Lake Days. I am partial to any Chevy Nova that might be on display, like the green one in the NASCAR commercial (like the one I drove in high school). That was a really long time ago. Bring your car, your memories and join the fun for a good cause.
I also asked Stew for an update on the federal grant for a new food bank in Bonney Lake. Due to sequestration, that grant, like many others, is on hold.
The Bonney Lake and Prairie Ridge food banks depend on donations to pursue their vision of creating a hunger-free environment. Donations come from individuals like you and me, groups, corporations like CenturyLink and organizations. Sponsors are listed on the food bank website. It takes a village. It can be a one-time donation of cash or food, a grant, an organized food or fund drive or volunteering of time and skills. There are countless ways that members of this community can contribute year round in making our community a better place. Together, we can provide hope to our hungry neighbors. You can drop off donations at 18409 Veterans Memorial Drive, or call (253) 863-4043 or donate online. Please help feed the kids this summer. Thank you for all you do for your neighbors.
