Profile: Nickel a Meal

The Presbytery sent Nickel a Meal money to Sur Occidente and Suchitepequez
Presbyteries to buy food supplies for victims of severe flooding in 2010.

Nickel a Meal is a very simple plan. Everybody…young, old or in the middle…rich, poor or in the middle…can participate equally. Each person puts 5 cents in a designated container for each meal eaten, then brings it to church when the offering is collected, usually four times a year.






The money is sent to Presbytery where the Hunger Committee distributes it as follows:
International projects 55%
Regional projects 40%
Education and Administrative costs up to 5%
(with the unused portion allocated to international projects)


Ruben Morales, pastor of our partner church, Iglesia Jerusalem,
unloads emergency food supplies for victims of flooding.

In 2010 and until mid-year in 2011, Nickel a Meal disbursed $176,428.25. Programs supported by GCPC received grants as follows:


Regional
A HOPE Day Center $3000
Loving Food Resources $3000
Supersizing Souper Bowl at GCPC in 2011 $341.50
(Increasing the amount raised by our youth ($683.00) by 50%. Divided between Manna Food Bank and ABCCM).



International Programs
Haiti: Seeds for Haitian Farmers (Mark Hare) $6000
Malawi: Nkhoma Orphan Feed & Seed Project (Dr. Nagy) $30,000
Guatemala: Food Relief in Suchitepequez & Sur
Occidente Presbyteries after 2010 flooding $3,000

To read full 2010 Nickel a Meal report scroll down to Nickel a Meal at the Presbytery of WNC web site: http://www.presbyterywnc.org/content/mission_zone/hunger_program/.
Ginnie Stevens has the 2011 Mid-year report.  

At Loving Food Resources, food, health and personal care items are provided each week
to an average of 86 people living with HIV/AIDS or who are in home hospice care. 

The program has languished in the past year for lack of leadership so a group is being formed now that will both develop ways to promote participation by all ages in all three aspects of the program: prayer, discovery and action, and also take care of the practical details of managing it. Anyone who may be interested is encouraged to contact Ginnie Stevens: vestevens2@gmail.com; 253-0159 (h); 585-739-4890 (c).


Time Commitments & Responsibilities to be divided among the group according to interests, skills, and time availability:

+ A couple of 2-hour meetings in October and early November to develop a plan of action; then probably four meetings of about 2 hours each in 2011.

+ 1 hour two to four times a year to count the offering; maybe families with grade school and above children could do this once or twice a year.

+ Write some simple family devotionals or interpretative material for the SERVE blog, church newsletters etc. (A format will be provided for devotionals.)

+ Collect small plastic containers so children can make new banks.

+ Other as the group discovers as we move on.

5 Cents-a-Meal makes Sense…

and a Difference!