Dozens of homeless children in Superior are fed every weekend through the Nutrition on Weekends (NOW) program. It started when Julie Norman, a Superior woman, was looking for a way to help those in need. Her mother shared with her the story of a homeless family with a baby living under the I-35 overpass.
"Hearing that made me even more determined to do something to help people," said Norman, "especially the homeless."
Her zeal spread to her eight coworkers at National Bank of Commerce's 2822 Tower Ave. office. Norman and Cindy Theien, assistant vice president/office manager/lending specialist, contacted Kathi Madsen, executive director of the United Way of Superior-Douglas County, for insight on opportunities to help homeless people in the area. Through Madsen, the bank team learned about the nutritional need of homeless children in the Superior School District. Working with Nicky Wilson, Superior School District homeless coordinator, opened their eyes to the fact that some local children have no home. These youth may find that the only meals they get are from school - breakfast and lunch - because their homeless situation does not provide access to adequate food over the weekend. It was, said Norman, heart-wrenching.
"When you think about homelessness, you think about adults living on the streets, in tents or cars, no shelter and out in the cold," she said. "You don't think about the fact there are children who go to school who don't have a permanent residence to go to each afternoon. You don't stop and think about those kids who don't have access to food during the weekend."
The women were ready to roll up their sleeves and do whatever it took to help those kids. With Wilson's help, the bank employees created the NOW program.
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For two weeks now, the bank employees have filled bags containing two days' worth of convenient foods for children to take with them on Friday afternoons. These foods are as nutritious as possible while being easy to eat without cooking, using a can opener or preparing them in another way.
On the first Friday in February, 17 bags were delivered to the Superior Middle School. Those bags fed 32 children over the weekend. Today, the National Bank of Commerce women will deliver 15 bags, enough for 34 children. Their goal is to take NOW district-wide on Feb. 26 with approximately 76 bags, enough to feed 115 homeless students.
Preparing the bags is easy. Obtaining food for the bags is not. The eight women kicked off the program by purchasing food for the first round. But they don't have the resources to purchase all the food themselves each week. The NOW program is seeking support from the community in the form of food items and monetary donations to continue and expand the program. Both the food and money can be brought to National Bank of Commerce's two bank locations in Superior - 1127 Tower Ave. and 2822 Tower Ave.
"This is an opportunity for all of us to be a part of the solution, working together as a caring community, to make a difference in a child's life," Madsen said. "Our appreciation goes out to Julie Norman, her co-workers - Cindy Theien, Kellie Damico, Eva Bayard, Jen Nelson, Jan Grymala, Cheryl Larson and Wendy Wolter; also, Nicky Wilson and the School District of Superior, and National Bank of Commerce for moving forward with an action plan - Nutrition On Weekends."
Monetary donations are tax deductable. Food must be nutritious, non-perishable and individually-wrapped or in individual serving sizes. The program is scheduled to continue 15 more weeks until the end of the school year.
"Eventually we'd like to grow the program," Theien said, "not only reaching the children of the Superior School District but also encompassing the homeless children in the school districts of Solon Springs and Maple."
Beyond bringing in food and monetary donations, anyone who would like to volunteer with filling the bags or other duties involved in the program can call Julie or Cindy at (715) 395-5555.
