The ‘Rebekah’s Cupboard’ Section
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Rebeka’s Cupboard Collecting Dry Milk Throughout February
In an effort to stretch its funds for 2012, the St. Luke’s Mission Committee in charge of the Rebeka’s Cupboard Food Pantry Program is asking church members to bring envelopes of nonfat dry milk to church on Sunday’s in February. The envelopes will be distributed to the families that Rebeka’s Cupboard serves on the first Wednesday of each month. Each family served by the program typically receives two envelopes, and donations this month will help curb the cost of buying those envelopes from suppliers in 2012. For more information, contact the church office or simply look for collection boxes on Sundays in February.
Rebekah’s Cupboard To Begin Working With Corpus Christi Food Bank
The St. Luke’s food ministry known as Rebekah’s Cupboard will begin a new phase in November when it begins buying a large portion of the food it distributes from the Corpus Christi Food Bank.
“This will give us access to the types of fresh produce and other foods that we’ve not been able to offer before,” said Laura Jones, co-chairperson of the St. Luke’s Mission’s Committee, which oversees Rebekah’s Cupboard.
The change will also help the ministry buy more food than it currently serves, and that will lead to more people being served, Jones said.
Until now, Rebekah’s Cupboard had used money donated to it from St. Luke’s members to buy groceries, at standard retail prices, from local stores.
“Now, we’re going to be able to buy from the food bank at between 14 and 19 cents per pound, and that will mean that we can afford to buy much more than we’ve been buying,” Jones said.
The ministry typically distributes food to about 25 families on the 1st Wednesday of each month with a total budget of about $300 per month. When buying from the food bank, the ministry will be able to serve about 60 families for the same price.
The number of families served each month will likely grow in the coming months because the food bank will soon begin listing St. Luke’s ministry on literature it distributes to its clients and donors.
Ice Cream Party To Celebrate 10 Years of Rebekah’s Cupboard
St. Luke’s will be celebrating the”vibrant spirit” of the late Rebekah Van Meter on Sept. 25 — one day after what would have been her 21st birthday — with an Ice Cream Party for all who care to come.
The party in honor of the energetic, teenage St. Luke’s member who died in 2005 after a lifelong struggle with a genetic heart defect will start at 3 p.m. in Moore Hall. It will feature an outdoor moon jump for children, music, and plenty of ice cream and birthday cake. The church has sent invitation cards to all who have been served in the last year by Rebekah’s Cupboard Food Pantry, a ministry the church named in Rebekah’s honor 10 years ago.
Flyers have also been distributed to church members and to many who live in the neighborhood surrounding the church.
“Rebekah’s vibrant spirit, even while she was struggling through such difficult health problems, was such an inspiration to us all, so, even a few years before she died, we decided to name our food ministry in honor her,” said Laura Jones, co-chair of the St. Luke’s Missions Committee, which has organized this event.
The event will also celebrate two other St. Luke’s ministries that provide help financial help to those who seek it from the church: the Coastal Bend Community Foundation Senior Assistance Grant, and the Communion Rail Assistance Fund.