It all started with a sermon series in October 2014 when Ira Bartolome, Centralia Church pastor, preached on talents, challenged the congregation to invest in "Kingdom Assignments" and offered five red envelopes to the church family.
Donna Meador, kindergarten through second-grade teacher at Lewis County Adventist School in Chehalis, accepted one of the red envelopes. Inside, there was a $100 bill and directions to invest it and make it grow. The stipulation was that it was to be used to benefit the community.
Meador knew several community students at LCAS needed help with tuition assistance and chose this cause for her Kingdom Assignment. In November 2014, Meador and a whole host of volunteers prepared and served an enchilada meal to raise funds for her Kingdom Assignment. After the event, enough food was left that many meals were boxed up and shared with shut-ins and the homeless in the community.
A second meal, “A Taste of Asia,” was prepared and served in January 2015. The results were similar.
February 2016 brought the third delicious meal for this project. Between the three meals, countless enchiladas and spring rolls, and many volunteer hours, more than $1,200 was donated toward tuition assistance for community students at LCAS.
Through these assignments, students at Lewis County Adventist School were blessed with some tuition assistance while families enjoyed the home-cooked meals and friends to share the food.