Submitted by Dr. Denise Fuhrman
East York Elementary School staff and students have made new friends this year. The congregation of Eastminster Presbyterian Church has become an additional source of encouragement for our school community. Members of the congregation recognized the needs that existed in their own backyard. They were aware that roughly 37% of our students received free or reduced lunches.
Last spring church members approached our school asking if they could provide weekend backpack meals for fifty of our neediest students! The congregation pays the $85 per student for the year. Volunteers from the church pack the meals each Monday at the York Benevolent Association. Until we are able to secure a volunteer, the YSSD maintenance staff has been pitching in and picking up the meals each Thursday morning. Members of the Eastminster Presbyterian Church’s youth group and a East York staff member deliver the backpacks to classrooms Thursday nights. Fifteen backpacks are still available each weekend for qualifying students.
The generosity of church members does not stop there. Recently, the church’s Cool Knitting & Warm Fellowship group donated 46 sets of hats and mittens to our students. In the coming weeks, the hats and mittens will be placed in our front lobby. Students will be able to help themselves to what they need. 
Words cannot describe what a difference our new friends are making in the lives of East York students. Eastminster Presbyterian Church has shown a strong commitment to supporting the children in their neighborhood. Their hope is that other churches or nonprofit organizations will follow Eastminster’s lead!