Donations go together like peanut butter, jelly

Donations go together like peanut butter, jelly

Akron church program for students at Mason is example of assistance from Millennium Fund

 

By Paula Schleis

Beacon Journal staff writer

 

Published on Friday, Nov 26, 2010

 

University of Akron anthropology students charged with studying the dietary habits of kids at Akron's Mason elementary school found one practice particularly disturbing.

 

At the beginning of the week, students didn't necessarily eat every bite provided through federally funded breakfast and lunch programs. But by the end of the week, nothing went into the trash.

 

That's because as Friday approaches, many kids in this low-income neighborhood begin the ritual of hoarding, instinctively knowing there might not be enough food at home to carry them through the weekend.

 

When Willard United Church of Christ heard about the study, the congregation took action, launching its ''Peanut Butter and Jelly Ministry'' to provide an end-of-week food supply for youngsters in the greatest need.

 

That's exactly the kind of grass-roots effort the Millennium Fund for Children has spent more than a decade seeking out.

 

 

 

This year, the fund is distributing $43,000 among 26 programs that are trying to improve the lives of area children.

 

The Akron Community Foundation and the Akron Beacon Journal launched the fund in 1999 as a way of celebrating the new millennium by investing in the community's future: its children.

 

The fund's endowment now stands at about $576,000, built from $1,000 checks and the contents of piggy banks.

 

The standard for giving continues to be this: your last hour's pay of the year.

 

This year's distribution brings the fund's grant-making total to nearly $410,000.

 

Always, the targets are programs in which a couple of thousand dollars can make a significant impact, fund spokesperson Tina Boyes said.

 

''For some recipients, it's truly the difference between being able to do their work and not being able to do their work,'' Boyes said.

 

So does a $2,000 grant from the fund go a long way toward feeding the poorest kids at Mason school?

 

The question left Charlie Dorow, food pantry director at the church, speechless for a full minute, as if he couldn't find the words to convey his gratitude.

 

''The money from the Millennium Fund is what has continued to make this possible every week instead of once a month,'' he said. ''Two thousand dollars in our food pantry would be a blessing. For this program, it's an extreme blessing.''

 

Dorow's wife, Joan, and parishioner Joyce Ruther run the ministry, overseeing volunteers who gather at the church each week to pack and distribute a weekend's worth of meals for 44 children.

 

This week's haul included fruit and Jell-O cups, Pop-Tarts, cereal, SpaghettiOs, cookies and soup. Every week, each child gets a loaf of bread. Once a month, every bag includes a jar of peanut butter and a jar of jelly.

 

''They're things kids can access themselves,'' Charlie Dorow said. And the children leave no doubt as to how much they appreciate having full bellies.

 

''You see these kids look in their bag and see a box of Raisin Bran . . . and it's like getting a Christmas present,'' Dorow said.

 

As with Willard church, many Millennium grant recipients aim at basic needs, the way Birthcare of Medina County buys diapers and formula for infants in low-income families.

 

Other programs focus on arts and recreation, like the Akron Community Learning Center & Urban League's summer enrichment camp, or ballet classes provided by Urban Vision.

 

Educational obstacles are also targeted. The Opportunity Parish Ecumenical Neighborhood Ministry runs a tutoring program for kids in Akron's Summit Lake neighborhood, while the Portage Path Community Learning Center will use its grant for an after-school science program.

 

Other charitable causes range from a motivational program for children in foster care to the purchase of holiday toys for abused kids in the Summit County court system and a program that helps kids fighting cancer feel better about their changing appearance with a professional photo shoot.

 

Boyes said the economy has made it difficult to fill the many needs that exist.

 

In 2000, the fund raised $109,000 from the community. Last year, it took in $45,000.

 

''But the need is always there,'' Boyes said. And as other funding sources dry up, more programs are casting a net at the fund. Last year, there were 40 requests for money; this year, 49.

 

Contributions to the Millennium Fund can be made to the Akron Community Foundation at its Web site (http://www.akroncommunityfdn.org/contribute), by mailing a check to the Millennium Fund, 345 W. Cedar St., Akron, OH 44307-2407, or by using the coupon that appears with this story.

 

Paula Schleis can be reached at 330-996-3741 or pschleis@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/paulaschleis.