Bag Brigade comes to the rescue
Erin Simko, left, and Ashlee Eisengart pack bags of food for students in the Belle Vernon Area School District as part of the Bag Brigade at Gospel Alliance Church.
Peanut butter is one of the many items students receive in their backpacks.
Cereal is a popular item among students in the Belle Vernon Area School District.
BELLE VERNON – Kathy Kelly volunteers at Marion Elementary School, and when she learned that some students were going hungry during the weekends, she thought she might be able to help.
So did Kelly’s friend, Ashlee Eisengart. She is a homeroom mother and volunteer in her daughter’s kindergarten class at Rostraver Elementary, and she became concerned when she noticed some youngsters had no snacks.
Together, they formulated a plan, and with unwavering support from members of their congregation at Gospel Alliance Church, they established the Bag Brigade in December, providing weekend meals and snacks for 20 youngsters at Marion Elementary.
And it didn’t take long for word about the outreach to spread, and as it did, so did the need – and the support, much to the delight of Kelly and Eisengart.
Today, members of the Bag Brigade are filling 90 bags each week for students at all four schools in the Belle Vernon Area School District: Rostraver and Marion Elementary schools, Belle Vernon Area Middle School and Belle Vernon Area High School.
“I thought next year maybe we could help at Rostraver,” Eisengart said. “After I started to volunteer, I said, ‘I don’t think we can wait until next year.’ I was absolutely game.”
Kelly said she was surprised to learn that 55 percent of the students at Marion receive free or reduced lunches. “I didn’t know there was a need until a teacher started a stuff-the-truck food event,” Kelly said.
The Bag Brigade is similar to Blessings in a Backpack, a national nonprofit organization that feeds elementary school children who are on the free and reduced meal program and are at risk of going hungry on the weekends.
However, the Bag Brigade receives no funding from the nonprofit, relying solely on monetary and food donations from the community.
“This is our own thing,” Kelly said. “Ashlee and I decided what it’s going to be. We went before the church and said, ‘Here’s what we want to do.’ We started out with zero dollars.”
They placed a container in the church for members to place money, whether it be loose change or a couple bucks, and “every single week it is overflowing,” Kelly said.
Bee Graphix in Belle Vernon donated the nylon backpacks, the Belle Vernon Lions Club donated $1,100 to the cause, and the Jereme Dudzinski Foundation donated $1,000.
Other businesses and individuals also have jumped on board, faithful in their contributions to the cause. When one gentleman learned just how grateful a young boy was to receive a small box of cereal, he decided to donate a case of miniature boxes of cereal twice a month.
“It’s as simple as picking up one more thing when you do your grocery shopping,” Kelly said. “We barely do any shopping anymore.”
Several businesses have drop-off boxes for food on site, and others have held company-wide food drives. Giant Eagle at Tri-County Plaza has donated food as well as gift cards for the Bag Brigade to purchase food. The Bag Brigade also did a food drive with the elementary and middle schools.
“We’re like, where are we going to put it all?” Kelly said.
The Bag Brigade ran out of storage space for food at the church, so the school district offered storage at the former Rostraver Middle School. Items with a long shelf life, such as peanut butter, crackers and cereal, are preferred. Each month, the Bag Brigade asks the congregation to donate a specific item. One month, it was Spaghetti-O’s. Once a month, the kids also get fresh fruit.
As a result of the overwhelming community support, the Bag Brigade is able to provide two meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus a snack. On long weekends, students receive a little extra food.
“At first, it was a Pop-Tart or cereal, not both,” Kelly said. “But we try not to make it so heavy that they can’t carry it home.”
In addition to the food, the Bag Bridgade provides students with toiletries once a month. That prompted a woman from Carnegie to donate a nice selection of toiletries she had collected during her vacations. She even delivered the items and helped pack the bags. Monongahela Valley Hospital also has donated toiletries.
“So many businesses have stepped up,” Kelly said.
On holidays and special occasions, such as Christmas, Easter and Valentine’s Day, the congregation fills separate bags and baskets with treats pertaining to the season, and delivers those along with the bags.
“It’s been a fun ride,” Eisengart said.
Each Monday, Kelly picks up the bags at Marion Elementary and the middle school; Eisengart picks up the bags at Rostraver Elementary and the high school. They also have a stash of plastic grocery bags in case students forget to return their backpacks.
In the middle of the week, volunteers from the church and the community, including youth groups and Girls Scouts, pack the bags, which Kelly and Eisengart return to the schools on Friday.
“We’re blessed. That is the word,” Kelly said. “Obviously, it’s what the Lord wants us to do. How else do you explain this?”
For more information or to donate items, call Kelly at 412-812-2918 or visit the Bag Brigade’s Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/Bag-Brigade-1891262581111395/. Food also can be dropped off at Gospel Alliance Church, 1011 Fells Church Road, Belle Vernon.