We are happy to report that our Read & Feed program was a great success for our fifth year!  We hosted 30 second and third grade readers from area elementary schools who had been identified as needing assistance with reading.  We hoped to “jump-start” their fall schooling by providing them with six mornings of reading experiences as well as food for breakfast and lunch.  We used most of our church to have the students read to us or to trained dogs, to have us read to them, to play word games, to sing songs and play games using music, to create various craft and science projects, and to have lots of fun!  We served them breakfast and lunch as well as sent food home for them and their siblings.  We also sent them home filled with books and, new this year, backpacks for school via the Deacon’s project.

Parents were overwhelmingly positive about the program.  All of the students were excited and enthused to participate.

We want to thank the nearly 50 volunteers from our church and St. Jude’s who made this outreach possible.  Thank you to our congregation for their support of our mission budget that enables this type of outreach.  We also want to thank Home Depot for supplying craft projects as well as volunteers to assist in their assembly.  Thanks also go to Jet’s Pizza and Uncle Ray’s Dairyland for contributing the food for our final lunch; it was a HUGE hit with the students!