• By Krista Kindley
• Posted Friday, May 15, 2009

Bridges Church Project Benefits RAPP Families

Bridges Church on Reynolda Road, housed in the Carmike Cinema Ten Theater, raised $2,000 and fed a total of 100 families in the Winston-Salem community this past Mother’s Day Weekend!

Bridges Church and their “B3: Bridges Bread Box” project purchased food boxes for 50 relative caregivers of children and their families (130 adults and children) that attend Social Services’ RAPP (Relatives as Parents Program)activities. The remaining fifty benefited families from Old Town Elementary School. The congregation gave monies for the project and creatively stretched their funds by purchasing Angel Food Ministry boxes and supplemented with additional food.

The “B3: Bridges Bread Box” project coordinator, Colleen Bennett said she is “thankful that Bridges Church could again collaborate with the Family and Children’s Division to support families, because there are great economic challenges at this time.”

Social Services’ “RAPP” groups are for grandparents and other relatives who are parenting children from their extended family system.

Each box, worth over $50, included canned goods, fresh vegetables, fruit, and household items. One relative caregiver we’ll call Ms. R, age 62, a grandmother who works full-time and is raising her 12-year old grandson said, “I really, really appreciated it, it was so nice and it came right on time!”

“Ms. R” continues by saying it means a lot to her when people are nice to her family and she enjoyed the Bridges members being present. Bridges Church had three members assist Teresa Bryant, RAPP Coordinator, with the food distribution on Saturday. While “Ms. R.” was able to pick up her box, for those without transportation or who are homebound, the boxes were delivered.

Bridges Church is a local Angel Food Ministry Box Distribution Member. The Angel Food Ministries Program operates a food distribution system all over the nation to assure that working families are fed.

Bennett says, “the church aims to show selfless service in the community and to encourage acceptance and diversity by creative involvement in the community”. Bridges Church is under the pastoral leadership of Patrick Norris.

Social Services and RAPP families are grateful to Bridges Church for their generous contributions, their time and their continued support of our Family and Children’s division.

Learn more about the Relatives and Parents Program (RAPP).