On Thursday mornings Covenant Living at the Holmstad in Batavia, resident Judy Johnson sets her alarm for 5:30 a.m.. That’s because she, along with a group of eight others from the community, start their volunteer duties just 45 minutes later. The group of residents help in making and serving breakfast to high school students throughout the year.
It’s all part of the Bulldog Breakfast held at Batavia Covenant Church, which is just across the street from Batavia High School. On Thursdays the students have a late start and so all are welcome to stop at the Church for a nutritious and free beginning to the day.
The next Bulldog Breakfasts will be December 5 and 12. Those will be the final breakfasts for this year. The first breakfast in 2020 will be January 9, 2020. Although the breakfast starts at 7:30 a.m., volunteers start the prep work at 6:15 a.m..
“We get to the church by 6:15 in the morning and our work begins with preparing the pancakes, French toast sticks, egg casserole, and sausages,” said Johnson. “We’ve got our system down, from putting out a lawn sign to remind students, setting up the buffet lines, getting the juice table ready, greeting students at the door, and then ultimately washing the dirty dishes afterwards.”
On any given Thursday, there could be upwards of 200 students who stop for the meal. Reverend Eric Landin said it all comes from the idea of giving back and providing blessings to the community. He’s encouraged by the number of students who show up from a variety of social settings within the school.
“We really couldn’t do this without the volunteer residents from Covenant Living,” said Landin. “We’re blessed to have them and it’s even more exciting to see how they connect and interact with the younger generation. It’s a mutual benefit for everyone.”
“Covenant Living at the Holmstad employs nearly 40 students in our dining services,” Johnson said. “When you think about it, it comes full circle for our group of resident volunteers serving a meal to the students at the Bulldog Breakfast, because it’s usually the other way around.”
The program was started several years ago to take advantage of the location of the high school, directly across from the church. Many students use the church parking lot and it seemed natural to invite them in for food and stress-free interactions. The program grew beyond expectations and now the Covenant Living residents, along with other church members and high school students, find common ground and lots of smiles over pancakes and more items every Thursday morning.
—The Holmstad