St. Barnabas teenager spearheads Thanksgiving Food Drive for needy families at Parkwood Elementary

Donated food waiting to be boxed up
Photo by Barbara Kinney

When parishioners at St. Barnabas Anglican Church in Shoreline began planning their annual Thanksgiving outreach earlier this fall, 14-year-old Ian Barr stepped forward and volunteered to take on much of the work.

Ian, a freshman at Roosevelt High School in Seattle, took on the project to provide Thanksgiving meals for five families in need at nearby Parkwood Elementary School as part of his community service project. Hours earned will help Ian meet his graduation requirements.

Every year families who will anonymously receive groceries for a complete Thanksgiving dinner are recommended to St. Barnabas. This year family advocate Kristina Weidart, MSW, helped tailor the meals to cultural and ethnic preferences for these families.

Ian spearheaded this drive by collecting groceries and receiving contributions beyond what was donated by members of St. Barnabas. With his special help, the parish was able to send 10 full grocery boxes to Parkwood.

Each family will receive two boxes filled with non-perishable food items, a turkey, and a $50 Safeway grocery card.

The parish’s Thanksgiving meal program for Parkwood families was started in November 2005 – the first year that Fr. Harley Crain and his wife, Donna, were at St. Barnabas. It is part of a four month Mission of the Month outreach to help low-income parishioners and church neighbors, including the homeless, during the fall and winter months.