By Jim Newell
Managing Editor
OXFORD — One of the main focuses of 42 Strong – The Tate Myre Foundation is to promote the feeling of community within its participants, and to give back to the community.
On Sunday evening, the students and parent volunteers of 42 Strong showed that commitment by collecting food and restocking the shelves at the Free Meals program in Oxford.
Students and parents delivered donations they had collected during a group event earlier that day. About 200 students helped collect food, which volunteers then delivered to the Free Meals pantry at Immanuel Congregational Church, said parent volunteer Rebecca Krupa, who coordinated the donations.
“Every year we have this event that takes place in November… and usually we pick a charity that we want to help and contribute to in some way. This year, we reached out to Connie (Miller) and the church – we know that they do the Free Meals program Wednesday nights every week. She said that her cabinets were bare and that they really needed help, so we put the word out to all the 42 Strong parents and asked them if they would help us,” Krupa said.
“Help” was a minivan full of canned goods and a few trays of prepared meals.
“That’s going to set us up for another week right there. The pantry is full – most of it will be gone this week,” said Connie Miller, coordinator for the Free Meals program. “These kids are amazing, just amazing. And their parents, the parents that coordinate all of this.”
42 Strong – The Tate Myre Foundation is a peer-to-peer mentorship program whose “mission is to create a better future by helping students develop a greater sense of purpose, community and resilience. Mentors and mentees usually meet every month with their team leaders, or in a large group activity, Krupa said.
“With the mentorship program we’re big on them creating a relationship with one another, but also with the community. So, giving back to the community, places that our community is already serving, we want to contribute in those ways. Many times, the kids will meet their team leaders on an off month and they’ll do something like this on their own, too,” Krupa said.
Miller said every bit helps the grassroots Free Meals program, and added that she always looks forward to helping students get involved in giving back to the community.
“I especially love it that the kids are involved because they get it now, they understand what we’re doing,” Miller said. “I love it and I have a couple more 42 Strong groups that are going to do the same thing, so it should (crossing my fingers) see us through to the end of the year.”
Miller typically spends $600-$800 each week on groceries, mostly the basics and necessities that people need, like milk, eggs and canned and box goods. Once a month the Free Meals program also distributes toiletries – toothpaste, deodorant, body wash, shampoo – to people.
Free Meals typically provides 100-150 prepared meals each week to area residents, which includes seasonal produce, along with a bag of pantry items, to help out families struggling with food insecurity, or who may need a little assistance on a weekly basis.
The all-volunteer program, funded solely by grants and donations, is independent but has a partnership with Immanuel Congregational United Church of Christ, which houses the food pantry and serves as a distribution location every Wednesday at 5 p.m. throughout the year.
Immanuel Congregational United Church of Christ is at 1 Hovey St. in Oxford. Volunteers and anyone who would like to donate are encouraged to contact Miller at 248-933-4579.
For more information on 42 Strong – The Tate Myre Foundation, visit 42strongtate.org.