One Garden Grew Connections During COVID-19

In the US, over 6 million children live in food-insecure homes. School meal programs exist to address this, but during the vacation months, those programs are halted. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the needs drastically grew. 

Episcopal Relief & Development worked with the Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Oregon, through Ascension School Camp and Conference Center in Cove, OR, to address hunger in their community. As part of their response, they distributed lunches to children under 18 and provided produce to the local food bank. This effort largely supported the families of wheat and mint farmers, as well as migrant workers. 

“Ascension School is small and we’re in a far eastern Oregon rural community,” said the Rev. Amy Jayne, Executive Director for Ascension School. She continues, “Our free lunch program, open to public school and home-schooled kids, allowed us to become part of this community in a way that we haven’t ever before.” 

The free lunch program served 60-65 lunches every week, including an assortment of snacks for weekends, until school restarted that fall. One grateful mother of eight told the kitchen staff that the lunches were so large that she was able to split them into two meals.