When Faith and Service Intersect

The middle schoolers at Trinity Lutheran Church in Long Lake know what they like. So when the confirmation program restructured its Wednesday night service activities, the kids insisted that their favorite event be kept.

“The kids have been doing a food scavenger hunt for 10 years now,” said Kirsten Kelly, director of middle school ministries. “It’s a wild two hours, but we’re always amazed at how much food they collect in that period of time.”

The more than 135 kids divide into about 30 groups. Each group is assigned a neighborhood and given a map. They go door to door and ask for food. “Before they go out, we talk about the families in our community who rely on the IOCP Food Shelf,” explained Kelly. “We also have a sending prayer, which helps them connect service to their faith.”

This past year, they delivered an impressive 2,495 lbs. of food to the IOCP Food Shelf. To create an added incentive, they’ve assigned points to food items based on the need for that item and the cost. “The scavenger hunt proves the adage that many hands make light work,” added Kelly.