The Refuge’s Summer Feeding Program is “in the bag”
As things begin to heat up this summer so will The Refuge’s activities for the community of Olney. Kristy and Rodney Nantz, along with other helpers, will continue the tradition of offering things to do in a safe environment, as well as making sure kids have two meals a day this summer.
The Refuge Workout Competition: With the Refuge closed for the past couple of months, the workout classes at The Refuge are participating in a Quarantine 2020 Competition. This competition is currently halfway through and consists of 27 participants from the workout classes as well as others within the community. The competition was originally planned to take place in either May/June or June/July to encourage the Bootcamp classes, and Stretch and Flow classes, to workout outside of the Refuge. Instead, due to the coronavirus, the competition has been formed to uplift, motivate, and challenge participants to exercise on their own or with their family via walking, jogging, cycling, or doing at home resistance workouts. At the end of eight weeks the participants will complete their post measurements. When it’s over, each participant will receive a free t-shirt and the male and female participant with the greatest difference in pre to post measurement will each receive a $50 gift card.
Boot Camp: Starting the week of July 6, Boot Camp classes will start back up, returning to the normal schedule on Mondays and Thursdays at 6 p.m. These Boot Camp classes are for anyone looking to improve their fitness whether you already exercise consistently or if you are looking to begin your fitness journey. They are full body functional training classes that will help improve your cardio, strength, and overall health.
Mother Daughter Painting Class – June 27 from 2-5 p.m.: This Mother Daughter Painting Class is for mothers and their high school daughters to come and spend a Saturday together at The Refuge while enjoying desserts and refreshments along with each individual completing a painting led by Jill Paschal from 3 Dots & 1 Dash.
Family Movie Day – Aug. 15 from 2-4 p.m.: The Refuge is planning a showing of I Can Only Imagine on Saturday, Aug. 15 for families to come and watch together with popcorn and snacks provided.
Summer Feeding Program 2020: Rolling Plains and the Refuge have partnered together to continue feeding kids this summer. In previous years, the kids could come to the Refuge, have lunch, and engage in an enrichment program. Because of the restrictions of COVID-19, the USDA, who funds these meals, does not allow for congregate meals to take place through June 30. So, each entity looked at what it would entail to hold this program and decided it was a great need for the community.
“The OISD started feeding kids as soon as COVID-19 shut the schools and that program concluded on May 15. Several of us rode on the buses and watched how they ran the program. They did a really great job in organizing and distributing the meals. We just followed suit and picked up the Summer Food Service Program and have tried our best to keep the same routes and times so families were familiar with how things were running. Right now, we are providing breakfast and lunch. We are serving around 1700 meals each week, loading two different buses, and serving at the school, Megargel, and a mobile route around Olney. We are extremely thankful to our employees here at the Refuge, our volunteers, and so thankful for Rolling Plains and their employees. It takes all of us being on the same team and working together. We feel blessed each day to serve with this group of people, to see kids smiling faces each day, excited and thankful. We continue to pray to be His hand and feet, to seek glory for our king, Jesus Christ.”
Summer Camps: Be on the lookout for dates and times for our reading, math, and science camps. They will be held the last two weeks in July. – Anne Mc-Queen
For more information please call The Refuge at (940) 564-4673 or visit their Facebook page by typing @theolneyrefuge into your Facebook search to stay on top of all the summer happenings at The Refuge in Olney, Texas.