Community for Kids: Blue Valley District Food Drive

By Charles Dahm, Blue Valley District Chair for Father’s Club

Father’s Club is proud to support the communities in which we operate by regularly combining efforts across multiple chapters. Phil Woodson, the Pleasant Ridge Middle School Chairman, led such an effort recently.

Phil, or as he’s known at Stilwell United Methodist Church, Pastor Phil, encourages a feeling of belonging among his Father’s Club chapter as well as his congregation. He gives charities operating within our communities a high priority. One such effort is Community for Kids, a program supported by many organizations across the Blue Valley community. The mission of this organization is, “To alleviate food insecurity for students in the Blue Valley community by providing weekend food packs.” They feed almost 300 students across 34 Blue Valley schools every week.

Phil says, “This isn’t a distant organization guessing at needs; its neighbors caring for neighbors. For many children, weekends can mean uncertainty around food – and when kids don’t have consistent access to meals, it directly affects their ability to focus, regulate emotions, learn, and grow. Food insecurity doesn’t just impact their stomachs; it impacts their development.”

The collaborative spirit is strong with this group. Phil says, “This work happens in partnership with school social workers, administrators, office staff, PTOs, Father’s Club, churches, teachers, parents, students, scouts, and so many other individuals and organizations who simply want to support kids.”

Restocking the Shelves

To help restock the shelves of Community for Kids, Phil reached out across the BV chapters and found other schools who were happy to chip in – including Blue Valley High and Blue Valley North. Beyond these three, other BV schools already had plans to support Community for Kids, and Aubrey Bend Middle just wrapped up their drive for another local relief and education program called the Blue Valley Food Pantry, located at the Hilltop Learning Center.

Janis Kirkeby with Community for Kids expressed her appreciation and indicated over 1,100 items were collected to help their efforts. She says, “The protein section of our pantry has never been so well stocked!”

If you missed out on your opportunity to donate, please consider reaching out to Community for Kids or the Blue Valley Food Pantry.

Next Steps

• To get involved with a Father’s Club chapter at your school, visit the Chapters page on our website.
• If there isn’t a chapter currently at your school and you would like to know more about starting a Father’s Club chapter, visit the Contact page and fill out the form with your details and we will be in touch!