“Blue Bag” snacks for neighbors

Fifteen percent of Alabama’s total households have some level of food insecurity, as estimated by the USDA. With this fact in mind, Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church packaged snacks for the Blue Bag program, a part of their Hunger Initiative. The snacks were delivered for Birmingham children who were not in school to receive free and reduced lunches during the holidays.

“We often describe Saint Luke’s as a village church – neighbor helping neighbor,” said Kim Kimberlin, the St. Luke’s member who organized the program. “We need to remember all of our Birmingham neighbors. This is a tangible way to reach our neighbors who live only six miles away from those of us living in Mountain Brook.”

Saint Luke’s packaged Blue Bags for 150 families of students at Norwood Elementary School who qualify for the free breakfast and lunch program. Seventy families of children in the PreSchool Partners Program also received Blue Bags.

Youth prepared bags for Thanksgiving, and senior adults for Christmas.

Each Blue Bag contained approximately 20 snack itmes: healthy snack items including granola bars, cereal bars, raisins, pudding for calcium, juice, apple sauce, peanut butter and crackers, cheese and crackers.