A positive start for students

When she began her job a year ago as the First Presbyterian Church’s youth and missions coordinator, Liz Romtvedt was looking for a way to reach out to the kids across the street at Baker Middle School.

She welcomed middle school students to join her at the church for an early morning respite complete with rolls, hot chocolate and help with their school work. They can also play a round of foosball, air hockey or pingpong while waiting for a new school day to begin.

“You know — anything positive kids need,” says Romtvedt, 25, a 2004 Baker High School graduate.

Shannon Moon, a Presbyterian Church member, joins Romtvedt on Tuesday mornings at 7 o’clock. Jim Tomlinson, a member of the Episcopal Church and the community’s literacy program coordinator, pitches in on Thursdays at the program dubbed “Open Door."

Students (whose parents have signed permission slips giving them the OK) may stop by the church before school twice a week. Romtvedt hopes to expand the program to Monday through Thursday as the year progresses.

“It’s just a great way to give kids a positive start to their day,” she says — and a warm place to wait for the school building to open.

Students are ushered out the door in time to make the first bell and to be seated when classes start at 7:50 a.m. In its first month, Open Door has drawn five to 10 students, Romtvedt said.

A second program, which Romtvedt started as a pilot project at the middle school last year to help feed hungry children over the weekend, has expanded to include more schools this year and she has recruited other churches to help.

It is the “Learn and Grow to Go” Backpack Nutrition Project, which provides food for students to carry home in their backpacks for the weekend. Romtvedt said First Presbyterian’s program is based on Loaves and Fishes, which is affiliated with J House, a Christian mission program on J Street in La Grande.

In its first year, “Learn and Grow to Go, provided weekend meals for 16 middle schoolers, Romtvedt said. This year, in addition to providing food for 10 middle schoolers (the number who have signed up so far), the program will serve 95 Brooklyn elementary students and a total of 45 students at Baker High School, including a few kindergartners. Kindergarten classrooms occupy the northwest wing of BHS.

The Baker City Christian Church is among those that has volunteered to help fill the increased need.

Pastor Jesse Whitford, along with several members of his congregation, have joined Romtvedt and students from the Baker Middle School leadership class to help fill sacks for delivery on Thursday mornings.

“We’re just trying to help in whatever way we can,” Whitford said.

The church has set up a food collection bin to accept donations from the congregation.

“I just think it’s a really tangible way for us to help people in the community,” he said. “It is another opportunity to serve.”

The Catholic Food Bank has donated $500 to the project and another $750 was donated by the Chris Blacker Memorial Golf Tournament. Proceeds from the tournament are dedicated to specific Baker County youth programs each year, said Trisha Nichols, who serves on the tournament board and is a First Presbyterian Church member.

Other donations have come from the Elkhorn Adult Foster Care Home, which collects food at its site; St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, which contributes a supply of bread; and other community groups and individuals who have joined the effort.

Because of the large number of students being served at Brooklyn Primary — all students who qualify for free and reduced-price meals — the backpack project will distribute food at that site once a month rather than weekly. That will be done usually on the third Thursday of each month, Romtvedt said.

The program has not yet been established at South Baker Intermediate School.

Brooklyn Principal Troy Fisher says he is looking forward to seeing the benefits the weekend nutritional boost will provide for his students, 62 percent of whom qualify for free and reduced-price meals.

“I think it’s a great idea and a great program,” he said. “With the poverty rate we have and the free and reduced rate we have in Baker County, any help we can give these kids and their families is a benefit.”

A volunteer will distribute the food to students monthly in the Brooklyn gymnasium. Middle schoolers receive their weekend food supply through the office of school counselor Silas Turner. And Kim Virtue, a Baker High School counselor, distributes the backpack food supply from her office at BHS.

Romtvedt said she was inspired by the La Grande program and was sure that Baker County families also could use the help.

“I just know we have so many hungry people in the community,” she said, adding that while the program has a religious aspect, religion is not emphasized.  “I want them to know the community and churches care about them and want them to be fed.”

A book, donated through the literacy program, is added to each weekend bag of food as well.

Romtvedt said she has been very pleased with the cooperation and support of the schools, starting with Mindi Vaughan, Baker Middle School principal.

“I just talked to Mindi and she was super cooperative and super interested,” she said. “Allowing us to come in and drop off food is huge.”

Vaughan turns the credit back to Romtvedt.

“Liz came over and asked what our needs were,” she said. “I told her we have a lot of hungry kids and families and she said, ‘I think I can fix that.’ ”

The Rev. Al Fry, pastor at First Presbyterian Church, said his congregation has embraced the project.

“I am excited about reaching out to children who are hungry,” he said. “Becoming aware of the need has been awesome and overwhelming. I don’t think we were even aware how much need there was — that children did not have enough to eat on the weekend.”

Donations

Items packaged in single servings and fresh fruits and vegetables are needed.

Suggested contributions:

• Canned — tuna, salmon, soups, chili, black beans, fruit

• Heat and serve — macaroni and cheese, ravioli, soup, instant oatmeal, ramen noodles

• Fruit — applesauce cups, fruit cocktail cups, single-serve raisin boxes, fruit leather

• Other — peanut butter (18 ounces), jelly (18 ounces), tortillas, bread (wheat/nuts/seeds), crackers, granola bars, single-serve cereal, Emergen-C packets

• Fresh fruits and vegetables, which may be donated at the church, 1995 Third St., at 9 a.m. on Thursdays or on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m.

• The project also is in need of empty plastic grocery bags to use for sacking up the food before it is taken to the schools to be distributed to the students.

More information is available by calling Romtvedt at the church at 541-523-5201 or emailing her at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it To volunteer, call Romtvedt or drop by the church at 9 a.m. on Thursdays.