Calling All Heroes!
Steven Leslie Johnson
Pastor at Portlandchurch.org President/Founder of thethirdmeal.org
We work with heroes. We have to. We're just a small non-profit with a huge vision. Without heroes - the ones who really do all the epic stuff - we'd be just another great idea that never got to happen.
Our heroes are the people who advocate for children every single day. People like B.J. Foster, of Communities in Schools in Reno, Nevada. She shared our vision from the very start and pioneered The Third Meal's first program in 2021 and has contributed the most to us being able to serve over 5000 meals in less than 4 years.
Our heroes are the restaurant partners and other food suppliers who are willing to match our funds and welcome children into their establishments where they get treated like the important people they are.
And our heroes are the donors, those who are able to just give $10 or $20 to feed a kid, as well as our generous business partners who see our dream, and our plan, and almost non-existent overhead, fueling our ability to expand and grow and feed more children by matching employee's donations.
And that's exactly what we're doing. Expanding. Today we begin serving 50 more children in Thackersville, Oklahoma. The principal of the elementary school searched for someone who could help pre-k and kindergarten children in her under-served community. She found us. Now the children under this hero's watch are going to have a third meal delivered to them the four days they are at the school and then some to take home over the weekend. They will also have the opportunity to go to our newest restaurant partner in Gainesville, Texas 12 miles away where they can 'dine with dignity'.
We're reaching out to new children advocates, restaurants and donors. We have a safe way to link you to each other. A way that is transparent, yet protects the privacy of the children and the donors. We're doing this because we know almost all of you would feed a hungry child today, if there was a way you could trust.
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And many care givers, like the principal in Thackersville, are desperately seeking someone to help them find that third meal for the children under their care. The one they're going without. The one they won't find when they leave school and go home to a hungry house.
They have some heroes trying hard to help.
But even heroes need support. Heroes across the country are shouting for reinforcements. We're doing all we can to answer the call. But we're not the heroes. We're just an alarm.
Can you answer the call?