Our Mission at 5&2 Ministry- fighting childhood hunger in our community, one child at a time.

5&2 Ministry is a 501(c)(3) reaching children who are hungry or at risk of hunger in Chautauqua County, New York. For some children, the two meals they receive in school Monday through Friday are the only meals that will be provided to them. These children and their families may not know where their next meal will come from. 5&2 Ministry intends to reach children from all walks of life, no matter their circumstances or their backgounds. Our program is unique in that it is a non-profit, elective program and is not based on income. For the initial start-up phase of the program, it was piloted in the Kindergarten and First Grades at Clymer Central School. For 2017-18, we expanded to grades K-3 for CCS and moved into Sherman Central School in November 2017 for grades UPK-1. We rapidly grew into Bemus Point Elementary in January 2018 and added the GA Homes. With the closing of the GA Homes in early 2020, we began at Panama Elementary and continue to distribute there. To date, our Ministry is currently packing and placing bags of food in student's book bags at Bemus Point Elementary, Clymer Central School, Panama Central School, Sherman Central School, and various BOCES programs in Chautauqua County on Friday afternoons to supplement the food they may or may not receive at home over the weekend. We also have a summer snack program at Prendergast Library. For the 2025-26 school year, we are projected to fill and send home nearly 23,000 bags of food. We have found for any school or group wanting to join our program, a stable and strong base of volunteers and periodic fundraising is the “recipe” for success. Having a pack site is a major bonus! Confidentiality is a priority, and it is the program’s intent that the food is distributed in a manner so that the identity of the children and families receiving food through the program are protected. We are thankful for our humble beginnings, our continued growth and our faithful supporters. We have been truly blessed, year after year!!

John answered, “Anyone who had two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food do the same. "  Luke 3:11

Hunger is an epidemic that we cannot possibly fully understand. It’s right here in our own backyards. It’s not easily identified and it does not discriminate. It affects children and people from all walks of life. Feeding children and eradicating hunger will change our world, and our children’s future.

— Jen Heiser, President and Co-founder