Kids Helping Kids

Bayou City Blessings in a Backpack loves and values children -- both the ones giving and the ones receiving. There is pure joy and beauty in the simple acts of kids helping kids. Children are our future and it is up to us to teach them and to guide them. One of the core values of BCB is giving every child an opportunity to learn. This value not only extends to the children we serve but also to the children we teach through volunteering. In September 2013, Lisa Thielemann with Little Lights Houston organized a parent-child packing event. Since that time, Little Lights has served with BCB, packing over 5,000 weekend food bags for other children in Houston. We believe that these experiences are not only about working but also knowing why we work.

In February 2015, Melissa Peter began looking for additional age-appropriate resources to use for teaching kids about childhood hunger. She found two books that are used regularly as teaching tools with our young volunteers and ones we recommend to parents and teachers.

Maddi’s Fridge by Lois Brandt is a sweet story of friendship and the lesson of friends helping friends. It is an endearing, funny, sweet, and poignant story of Maddi and her friend Sophia. The concepts of play, encouragement and also the burden of childhood hunger are told in sensitive and child-appropriate language. It’s a resource that BCB uses often.

The book Plant a Kiss by Amy Krouse Rosenthal is another resource. Written in rhyme, this is a story about “planting” kindness and how one simple act can “grow” infinitely. It’s a beautiful book full of simple language and textured illustrations. This is also a resource that we love to use and recommend.

Teaching our community about the needs of our neighbor is one aspect of volunteering with BCB. Since 2015, we have welcomed other parent child groups such as Generation Serve, Girl Scouts, Boys Scouts, GAP (God Answers Prayers) and Rock Solid bible study groups.