No. 16 Vol. 10
www.mypaperonline.com
October 2018
Hackettstown Church Feeds Thousands In Need
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By Elsie Walker he Bible tells of Jesus Christ’s miracle of feeding 5,000. Following in the spirit of that action, Trinity United Methodist Church started a project called Caravan of Hope. People of all generations worked Sept. 7 -9, assembling 5,532 boxed lunches for needy people in Hackettstown and a variety of other areas. Not only did they give the recipients something to fill their stomachs, but notes included inside the boxes let them know someone cared. “It was a great mission to be a part of and be able to deliver so many meals to so many people in our nearby community,” said Jane DeWitt of Hackettstown, chair of the Caravan of Hope Committee. “It was amazing, the behind the scenes work the committee members did to put this project together in such a short period of time, and awesome how the community came together to help with donations and volunteer hours.” Rev. Dr. Frank Fowler, pastor of the church, explained some of tasks involved in making the project successful. He not-
ed that monies had to be raised to pay for the items inside each box lunch, which included a turkey sandwich, apple, water, and more. His idea was to include all ages in the project. In preparation for the September meal assembly and delivery, children and youth drew pictures and made notes, saying things like “God loves you,” to be put in each box. In addition, seniors in the congregation wrote notes to be included in the boxes, too. There was a group tasked with finding partners, food ministries and outreaches that could use the lunches. Those they partnered with were located as close as Hackettstown and Newton as far as Atlantic City and Allentown, Pa. In all, 45 part-
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ner locations were found. Fowler shared that the church did not say how much it could give each partner, instead it said, “tell us how much you need.” For example, 192 went to feed needy in Hackettstown. The most went to the Shiloh Baptist Church in Newark and a food ministry in Camden that’s affiliated with the United Methodist Church; each got 500 meals. Not only did the project put together the box lunches, but they also delivered them to the sites, which was a key part of the project. Fowler characterized the assembly and delivery of the meals “as amazingly organized.” An assembly line was set up in the church gymnasium where 225 volunteers continued on page 2
Free Thanksgiving Dinner
lease come and Be Our Guest on Thanksgiving Day! We will be hosting a Traditional Thanksgiving Family Dinner for anyone who will be alone or any individual or family facing financial hardship on Thanksgiving Day at the Mt. Olive Senior Center starting at 1:30 p.m. MUST CALL TO RESERVE! Please call Mary at 973-768-1815 or email at mary. lalama@gmail.com to reserve your seat now.