PACKING FRIENDSHIP
Packing Friendship is a hunger relief program, intended to provide food for children who are at risk of going hungry over the weekends. The students served by Packing Friendship typically rely on the free and reduced lunch program at school to provide both their breakfast and lunch during the school week. Packing Friendship seeks to bridge the gap between the food provided by the school through the free and reduced lunch program and the students’ needs while away from school on the weekend. Packing Friendship is a collaboration between local churches and service organizations, providing food to students at schools within the Wenatchee and Eastmont School Districts.
During the 2022-2023 school year, Sunnyslope Church delivered food for approximately 12 students every week. In total Sunnyslope delivered approximately 265 bags of food during the 2022-2023 school year. You can help support this program by donating food! We provide food that is easy to prepare and child-friendly, so we ask that you use the list below when making your purchase. All foods can be left on the Packing Friendship Cart that is located near the entrance to the Fellowship Hall in our building.
Packing Friendship Food Needs:
- cans of ravioli, spaghettios or spaghetti and meatballs
- cans of tuna or chicken
- cans of chicken noodle, tomato or other soups
- macaroni and cheese
- 6 oz. 100% juice boxes
- instant oatmeal packets
- 4 oz. applesauce cups
- 4 oz. fruit cups
- small boxes of raisins
- breakfast bars or granola bars
Packing Friendship began as a small program at Grace Lutheran Church in the spring of 2011, serving 12 students at three schools. Since that time the program, which is operated completely by volunteers, has grown throughout the community. Each participating church or organization has one person who serves as a coordinator and attends bi-annual Packing Friendship Coordinators meetings. Many volunteers are involved in the operation of this program on a weekly basis. In total more than 400 volunteers do all of the planning, shopping, sorting, packing and delivering of the food for the program. These volunteers range in age from pre-school aged children to grandparents.