Food and toy drives for local elementary schools, Giving Tree for Faith Mission

This Christmas season Bethany students, faculty, and community have several opportunities to give to the local community through a toy/gift drive for students at Prairie View Elementary School, in a food drive for families of students at Waterford Elementary School, and in a Community Chili Supper and Giving Tree for Faith Mission.

Bethany is partnering with Prairie View Elementary School in helping collect items for them to distribute to lower-income families. Bethany is contributing by collecting toys, cards, games, for elementary school-aged children. Last year Prairie View principal Ray Helmuth ('80) and Bethany's assistant principal Hank Willems ('89) unloaded two bins of toys donated by Bethany students/faculty.

Pictured are Bethany students and faculty with about 1/3 of the food items donated to Waterford Elementary School Food drive in 2008. Bethany will again partner with Waterford Elementary School for a Christmas food drive. More than half of Waterford families are eligible for free and reduced lunches and in some cases the school-provided lunch is the best or only meal a child gets. The goal is to collect enough food to distribute to at least 160 Waterford families, which means helping over 250 elementary school children have enough food to eat when they are home for Christmas holidays.

Specific dry good items to bring for the food drive include: soup, Ramen noodles, corn, green beans, peaches, applesauce, spaghettios, ravioli, stew, spaghetti and sauce, peanut butter, jelly, cereal, cake mix and frosting, crackers, macaroni & cheese, pancake mix and syrup.

Giving Tree: Bethany is partnering with PULSE radio's Giving Tree program to help provide Christmas gifts for people at Faith Mission in Elkhart. On Saturday, Dec. 12, PULSE radio will be at the Bethany home boys basketball game, inviting people to take a name of someone from Faith Mission off their giving tree and buy a present for that person. Last year PULSE representatives were impressed with the number of people stopping to take a name and thanked the Bethany community for its generosity.

Community Chili Supper: Also on Dec. 12 Bethany will be holding a Community Chili Supper 5:00-6:30 p.m. The meal is by donation ($5 suggested) with proceeds shared between Bethany and Faith Mission. Menu items include chili, breadsticks, veggies, and homemade cookies.