Emmaus Mission's Color Walk to fund dairy boxes

Apr. 19—"This is a fun thing to do to help others," said 15-year-old Briana Madrigal as she pelted walkers at Riverside Park with red powder, filling the air with raining shades, and marking white shirts with one of many hues participants would encounter throughout the day.

Volunteering for the first annual Emmaus Mission Center Color Walk, this Lewis Cass Jr.-Sr. High School student wanted to show her support by spending Saturday, April 17th helping the mission raise funds for its dairy boxes.

Her friend, Kadence Miller, 15, sought the same purpose — coupled with the ability to earn volunteer points for National Honor Society.

With the two girls stationed on opposite sides of the pathway, participants would pass by and get pummeled on either side with purple or red. Other check-points would add splashes of orange, blue, green, and yellow. Some people ended up with powder covering their shirts and jeans, others also had painted faces with ears dripping of colors.

And everyone had a ball, as was evident by the smiles and screams when people got color-bombed, just like Twelve Mile's Jacob Escobar, 17, and Ali Paul, 15, who attends Caston High School, as they made a lap around the park.

This fun was exactly what Jason Mitchell, executive director of Emmaus, was hoping for. With laughter abounding, the approximate 100 participants enjoyed a special outing that would benefit hundreds of local families.

According to Mitchell, there has been a substantial uptick in the number of families needing food. Approximately 2,160 area families have been receiving assistance with more than 550 food boxes going out the door per month at the pantry at 19 W. Richardville.

Over the course of the last few months, Mitchell said there have been generous donations, which has kept the food supply in check. However, the pantry has run out of dairy boxes. Originally funded through a USDA grant in conjunction with Purdue Extension and Prairie Farms, the boxes contain butter, milk, and sour cream, along with other dairy products.

A family will receive one dairy box per month, and the pantry currently has a three-month supply. But it costs nearly $2,000 per week to purchase 125 boxes.

So, with the help of the walkers and runners who ventured outdoors on the brisk weekend morning, Kayla Cook, food pantry and thrift store manager, thinks the support will allow Emmaus to reach more families in need.

That makes Kristen Williamson of Logansport happy. "Jason is so passionate about helping others. This event addresses the homelessness and hunger people experience in our area."

"So we wanted to come out and show our support to Jason and to this community," Williamson's friend Tammy Helvie, Logansport, said. "We're giving back to the community."

Knowing that, plus being able to help Jason when he asks for assistance is important, added Chuck LaDow of Logansport.

Mitchell graciously appreciates it, especially since the dairy boxes are no longer funded through a USDA grant. "Part of our mission is to feed people," he said. "Monies raised will help fill that void. And we'll keep looking for different funding sources. We'll do all that we can ... all we find possible."

And with the number of community members who will be there to support Jason and his mission, he may be able to rest assured knowing that he's not alone in the fight to end hunger and homelessness. At least, that's why a group of employees from 1st Farmers Bank & Trust chose to participate.

"We're here to help Cass County," said Stephanie Helton, who was joined by colleagues Maddie Hendrixson, Ashley Troyer, Suzie Sedano, and Georgia Dahman, along with her 3-year-old son, Sheldon Kollmar.

With the positive turnout and support, Cook said she hopes to hold the event, again, next year — "maybe later in the day, though," she said, "and, hopefully, when it's warmer."

Reach Kristi Hileman at kristi.hileman@pharostribune.com or 574-732-5150