October 23, 2019

VAN BUREN — A community’s faith and willingness to work together with government agencies continues to improve the lives of Van Buren residents after the 2017 flood. Pastor Dave Truncone of the First Assembly of God Church in Van Buren and his congregation, like many others in the area, pray for ways to help in the continued recovery...

Van Buren students are all smiles as they get their trays at the First Assembly of God Church after school food program.
Van Buren students are all smiles as they get their trays at the First Assembly of God Church after school food program. Photo provided

VAN BUREN — A community’s faith and willingness to work together with government agencies continues to improve the lives of Van Buren residents after the 2017 flood.

Pastor Dave Truncone of the First Assembly of God Church in Van Buren and his congregation, like many others in the area, pray for ways to help in the continued recovery.

Their prayers have been answered recently in two ways, in a way to help prevent future flooding and a way to help feed Van Buren school children.

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__Flood relief__

A flash flood Feb. 4, showed them a problem in their own backyard, according to Truncone, and a call in March from a St. Louis area pastor provided an answer to feeding hungry students in Van Buren.

The relationships church members and community leaders developed with governmental agencies during and following the 2017 flood continues to open doors, Truncone believes.

During the disaster, the water in a creek behind the church rose to 6 feet high, flooding homes in the area.

The recent flash flood caused water to overflow behind the church, said Truncone, adding “it ended up stopping and went back to a normal level” before causing any damage.

Searching for answers to combat the possible flooding, church members talked with a Missouri Department of Transportation engineer and asked, “can we fix it downstream to help our neighbors, too?”

The solution was expanding the creek on “one acre of our property,” the pastor said. To expand the creek, the congregation needed to bring in 220 tons of rock to cover an enlarged area.

They had to get approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. The work cost $11,000, which the congregation considered worth the money for them and their neighbors not to be flooded.

Truncone said, the church members have been “very active” in raising funds and had the money.

__School meal program__

Church members also learned school social worker Charlotte Johnson’s research showed many of the students are suffering from PTSD after the flood. They additional found out many “kids were only eating one meal a day,” he said.

The church began praying “how do we solve this,” when a call came from Dan Ross, a St. Louis-area pastor, sharing information about a USDA grant to finance an after-school feeding program. Ross and his church had helped in Van Buren during the initial flood recovery and knew the need existed.

Efforts to get the Van Buren church involved in the program were expedited because of the area’s needs, Ross said.

Ross “knew the situation we were in and called us,” Truncone said. He and the church members agreed “we needed the after-school feeding program.”

About six to seven congregation members meet at the church at noon Monday through Friday to have lunch, plan and prepare the students’ evening meal.

“We prepare the food at the church, bring it to the school and serve after the bell rings, five days a week,” Truncone said.

USDA guidelines include “a lot of protein” in the meals and the church members add the extra “homemade” touch to the food, Truncone said.

The students receive a variety of full meals. Some days the menu may be hot dogs, but there’s always a vegetable like green beans, fruit, wheat bread and 8 ounces of milk. On another day, the youngsters’ entree will be hamburgers, but the patties are handmade, as is the spaghetti and meat sauce and peanut butter sandwiches when they are served.

Truncone said, “We are really excited to partner with the school. We told them, we just want to help you.”

Enrollment is up in the after-school programs in Van Buren since the church started serving the evening meal, one school worker said. All kinds of activities, including sports, cheerleaders, cross country runners, science and other clubs are going until after 5 p.m.

“We have seen numbers in the after-school program double,” a worker said. “In one group, last year the highest number of students attending was 16, this year it is 25. We are pretty pleased.”

Truncone said teachers and bus drivers are reporting they see definite changes in the students. One teacher told him, now “I can go to sleep at night and not worry about my students.”

Truncone and the educators agree things are changing in the county. They see people being hired, other jobs being created, a new grocery store and homes being built, and tourists in town all summer long.

One educator and community volunteer said, “the flood really has been heart wrenching. This community is still struggling. We are a family; we care so much. This makes everyone - our community - much tighter.”

Van Buren area jobs were lost due to the flooding and even more families are driving to Poplar Bluff to work, one school worker said. The students are staying all day at school and many were very hungry before they were getting to eat. Others were not eating at all, workers report.

The program is an absolute blessing, according to members. The school had been offering breakfast, lunch and a snack before.

The church also is creating opportunities for community members, like a farmers’ market featuring products from local ranchers which is held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. each Saturday at the church’s pavilion.

The market began the first Saturday after Easter. A harvest festival will be Oct. 27. The church members also have raised $11,000 selling smoked meat.

The Van Buren First Assembly of God Church congregation raised funds to widen this creek and help prevent future flooding.
The Van Buren First Assembly of God Church congregation raised funds to widen this creek and help prevent future flooding. Photo provided
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