Veritas Youth Ministry is hosting its 19th annual food collection to benefit the SHIM food pantry.

Student Permission Form

Beginning in 2006, Veritas has collected donations to benefit the SHIM food pantry. SHIM relies on our large collection every year to feed local families for the holidays. Since 2020, we have asked students to bring donations with them to Veritas, but this year, we are returning to our pre-pandemic way of collecting donations.

How does it work? The food drive is done over two weeks. Volunteers will drive the kids through the community with designated maps handing out fliers asking for donations on the first week (November 6). The second week (November 13), volunteers will take the same group of kids along the same path to collect the donations from the community. We will ask folks to leave bags outside so kids are never inside someone's home.

What does my student need? Each student will need to have a completed permission form that allows us to transport them for this activity, linked above. We also suggest reflective/bright clothing if you have it, flashlights, weather appropriate jackets and active footwear. This collection will not be cancelled for weather.

Who are the drivers? Maybeeee you? All of our drivers will be Veritas volunteers or parents. They must be licensed, insured, and have all of their clearances on file with the church. Here is a link to find what state required clearances we have for all of our volunteers: westminster-church.org/member-resources/clearances

How many drivers do you need? Here is the tricky part; to make this work we need a LOT of help. We have about 30 kids in attendance each week, so we will need at least that many seat belts. How many drivers will depend on how many of you have Tahoes vs. Mini Coopers. If you're not able to be here both weeks, that is okay. We can try to match up drivers to fill holes as needed.

This project has a lot of moving pieces, but it's a whole lot of fun and SHIM needs our help. We are very excited to bring this collection back in its original form!

The congregation is invited to participate and donate non-perishable food items or financial contributions. Donations can be brought to worship on November 10.

Most needed items for SHIM’s food pantries: dried beans and lentils • rice • pasta sauce in jars • cereal and oatmeal • soup (especially low sodium) • adult diapers, especially X and XL • baby diapers sizes 3-6 • baby food • dog food • personal care items (shampoo, toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, feminine items, etc.)

If you are interested in volunteering or need more information, please contact Laura Ecklin.