Carry On Bags going strong after a decade of serving kids

FAIRFIELD – Fairfield’s charitable food program that seeks to feed school children on the weekends is now more than a decade old, and still going strong.

The program, Carry On Bags, began at the First United Methodist Church in 2014. The board’s president, Mark Thornton, said a lot has changed since then, especially in how efficiently volunteers pack the bags and get them out the door to the kids who need them.

Every other week, a team of volunteers meets on the top floor of the church to pack plastic bags with a balanced meal of stable goods such as macaroni and cheese, peanut butter, chicken, ravioli, granola bars and more. The volunteers pack enough bags for two weeks, but the bags are delivered every week to any family that wishes to sign up to receive them. Thornton said there are no income guidelines.

Thornton said that, after the group had been around for a few years, it began to receive grants, which helped with purchasing the food from Fairfield HyVee. Between eight and 10 civic groups and churches sign up to pack the bags on a regular basis, and the organization is always appreciative to see new volunteers. Volunteers can usually pack all the bags they need, which is now close to 400, in less than an hour.

Those who wish to make a charitable donation to the group can do so by contacting Ron Haines at MidWestOne Bank in Fairfield.

The group of regular packs who come to almost every packing include Carla Bloomquist, Kay Unkrich, Mark and Laurie LaVan, Kathy Tollenaere, Brad Messer and Karen Crossland.

Thornton is president while Kevin Heston is vice president. Mark LaVan is secretary. Other board members are Kay Unkrich, Larry Unkrich and Astrid Burns.

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Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com

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