48 children

this summer the heart ministry center will be supplying backpacks every friday, for 8 weeks, to children.  the backpacks will, hopefully, be filled with healthy, non perishable foods to get them through the weekend.  monday through friday they can come to the center to receive a free lunch and bottled water, but on the weekend there was no option until now. today i had the awesome oppurtunity to help decide what foods would make it in the bags and what else should go in....things like wipes, sunscreen, and more.  for their first bag, the kids received hygiene products.  john, the executive director, also would like to get the kids their own reusable water bottles.  as i worked on a list, i asked him "will the kids eat this? or that?".  the answer was always "yes." because, of course, when you are little and hungry, with no other options, you will eat anything. some of these children are as young as four.  in this city, omaha, we have children who are hungry and are not sure where their next meal is coming from...1 in 6 children, qualify as food insecure in our fair city.  this is not right and it breaks my heart.  i wanted to be able fill the bags with more.
if you would like to help, think about donating food or reusable water bottles for the children to use.  most of the food needs to be non-perishable and if it comes in a can, please make sure it has a pop-top.  we did include some fresh fruit since we figured it could be a treat or would at least last for 24 hours.  yes, fresh fruit is a treat. here is a list of things that would be appreciated, i am sure:

reusable water bottles
individual packages of wet wipes
resealable packages of tuna
crackers
pop top cans of beans {pinto or black}
tortilla chips
dried fruits
unsalted nuts
granola bars
individual containers of peanut butter
disposable utensils
individual containers of applesauce
apples
bananas
granola bars
packets of oatmeal

the heart ministy center is located on 22nd & binney street. right in the heart of where they need to be. donations can be made at the center and, of course, you can always send a cash donation. you can always recieve a receipt for your donations, as well.  i would be happy to pick up your donation if i am going down there, too.  just send an email. 
to learn more about the heart ministry center and all they do...like their food pantry, free legal clinic, free urgent care clinic, iva's clothes closet, or self sufficency prgram for women...go to http://www.heartministrycenter.org/
also, some things i noticed on the wish list board.  the wish list board is where the staff fills out what certain clients of the center need. 

sewing machine
crockpots
bed frames
mattresses
couches

if you have any of these items and would like to donate, please contact the center and they can arrange for it to be picked up.  thanks, folks.