Filling a Gap Through Greater Advancement
Advance Church knows there is such a thing as a free lunch because they make 500 of them every week.
When Pastor James Stevens of Advance Church Taupō heard about children at local schools going regularly without lunch, the team came to the party, drumming up a solution to fill the gap.
With one in four Kiwi kids living in poverty, it’s a well-known fact that thousands of children attend school each day minus lunch. We also know that in order to develop and achieve successfully at school, children need to eat healthy – and adequately. It’s long been a nationwide issue, but Advance Church took first steps towards change four years ago, launching the ‘Lunch in Schools’ initiative at Tauhara Primary School in Taupō.
Every Tuesday and Thursday, the team at Advance Church serve a warm meal for every child in need – a little gesture that’s had great impact – warm bellies, greater learning and big smiles. Since 2015, they have dished out over 40,000 lunches.
“You never know who needs it more, so we give to the whole school instead of singling out individual children,” says Pastor James. “It helps take the pressure off some families and gives them peace-of-mind that their children won’t stay hungry all day.”
You can make a difference
Advance Church is a fun, vibrant whanau who believes in serving the community and creating connections.
“We have an outward focus for the church and are constantly finding new ways to get out in the community and help in any way we can,” says James. “Every year the church works with a number of organisations to fulfil projects that are needed in the community – from building projects, painting, providing lunches, cleaning, pamper events, music performances and more.”
By volunteering, donating, or becoming a sponsor, you can help make a difference for our community.