That special time of year is just around the corner and Kidz Power Pacs is looking to secure donations for the children we serve. There are several ways you can be a part of this special experience. Please share with your family and friends and let the festive fun begins.
We will be in need of several delivery teams for both counties come the fall. Through the past year and a half we have double and tripled up on delivery teams. This fall we need to get back to our regular schedule and we need your help! This is a once a week commitment during school hours. You must be able to lift semi heavy boxes of food. The boxes are picked up at the KPP location in each county and delivered weekly to your designated school. Weekly communication with your school and KPP will be required as well. It is a wonderful way to help the children and the ministry. If the food doesn’t make it to the schools to be passed out to the children then the children will go hungry. Interested? Email communitycombinedwv@gmail.com
Recently, Panhandle Homes of Berkeley County, Countertop Solutions, Earth Art Kitchen and Bath, Spring Mills Apartments and Storage, ABC Supply Co. Inc., and Advocates Insurance Group LLO hosted a “Kidz Power Pacs” food drive by collecting easy-open child friendly food items for this weekend feeding ministry. Kidz Power Pacs / KPP serves an average of 1025+ children at 42 schools in Berkeley and Jefferson County, WV. Please reach out to us if you, your business, or church would like to help through a drive or donation:
So many children need a Christian foster home. Thinking about becoming a foster parent? Here is a local training event coming up in the fall. Have questions be sure to reach out to Burlington UM Family Services.
Kidz Power Pacs serves on average 1025 children weekly.
Like to hold a donation or food drive let us know! Monetary donations can be made out to: Community Combined Ministries PO BOX 2805 Martinsburg, WV 25402 Thank you all for your continue prayers, love and support!!!
Volunteers can help the 501(c)3 nonprofit unload food that Friday at 4:30 p.m. and pack that food the next morning at 9 a.m.
“We’ve been doing this for 10 years now,” said Kidz Power Pacs Director Diana Wall, who founded the nonprofit with her husband in 2007. “My husband and I were in El Salvador helping other missionaries with feeding children and building churches and different things, and when we came back home, I talked with some local teachers who said the same needs were in our own backyard.”
“Many of the teachers were going in and feeding the children out of their own pockets,” Wall said, mentioning that all 39 public schools in Berkeley and Jefferson County are covered by CCM. “We feed an average of over 900 children now because of the love of the community.”
“We buy food that’s easy to open and prepare. Many of the children have to fix it for themselves, because the parents are at work and the kids have to look after themselves and their younger siblings,” Wall said, explaining CCM buys everything in bulk from local grocery stores and doesn’t take food from Mountaineer Food Bank, to avoid taking food away from the area’s other nonprofits.
“We have a lot of kids whose parents are in the home and still working to provide but falling short, and also single parents,” added Wall, mentioning that each monthly packing prepares about 4,000 packages. “Sadly, yes, we don’t try to focus on it because it is not the situation for all the kids we feed, but the opioid epidemic has increased the number of students as well.”
“We added several more schools this year, and one school instantly had 62 children identified, so we are searching for sponsors for each of those children,” Wall said, explaining that each sponsor gives $20 per month, which is enough to feed the child during weekends, holiday breaks and summer vacation.
CCM was accepted into West Virginia’s Neighborhood Investment Program last year, which allows the organization to give a $250 tax credit to every business or individual who donates $500 to the organization.
CCM recently started another ministry, King Foods, that accepts food stamps and allows people to order and buy discounted food through the organization online, over the phone or by mail. For more information about CCM, visit https://communitycombined.org/ or email communitycombinedwv@gmail.com.
Thank you for writing an article on the ministry. One correction: CCM covers 39 schools total between Berkeley and Jefferson County. CCM does not cover all the schools in both counties. 2 Shepherdtown schools are covered by caring cubcards and some in Berkeley County are covered by Backpack. No school is duplicated. A list of CCM schools can be found on their website.
