For 50 years, the Dublin Food Pantry has been a source for food and essential resources for our neighbors. But we couldn’t do it without the support of our community. Many of our community members don’t just give, but also inspire others to do the same. One of those individuals is Jamie Menges, CFP®, CPA at PDS Planning and long-time contributor to the Dublin Food Pantry.
Recently, Jamie shared a story that stuck with us, and we think it will stick with you too.
A Meal That Put Things in Perspective
Jamie and his wife, Terri, spent a recent weekend cheering on the Dublin Jerome Boys Hockey team at the state semi-finals alongside their kids. Afterward, the family sat down for dinner at a local restaurant. The tab was over $150, not including drinks. It was an ordinary night out, but it sparked an important moment of reflection about the rising cost of food and what that means for families in our own community who are simply trying to get by.
Spring Break: An Added Stressor
In Dublin City Schools, 23% of students – approximately 3,700 children – are considered economically disadvantaged and eligible for free and reduced-price breakfast and lunch. When spring break arrives, that support disappears for nine days. For many families, that gap isn’t just inconvenient; it creates real hardship, adding stress and uncertainty for families already facing food insecurity.
Deciding to Show Up
When Jamie and Terri learned that a $40 donation could help replace those meals for 10 children during spring break – just $4 per child – they didn’t hesitate.
The Menges’ initiated a $2,000 grant through their family charitable fund with the intention of feeding 500 kids this spring break. But Jamie didn’t stop there. He reached out personally to 50 friends in Dublin, sharing his own reflection on the cost of food and asking them to consider helping a few kids in need. His message was simple and powerful: I’m not asking you to do anything I wasn’t willing to do.
More Than a Donation
Jamie’s story is a reminder that food insecurity doesn’t exist somewhere far away. It lives right here in Dublin, in the same schools and neighborhoods we all call home.
The Dublin Food Pantry works year-round to make sure families have support when they need it most. In addition to our regular Pantry shopping hours, we offer monthly Pop-Up Pantries for school families, provide healthy snacks for student athletes experiencing food insecurity at three Dublin schools, and coordinate food drops with community partners. When the community steps in to help, we are giving more than a meal. We are giving kids the foundation they need to show up, learn, and thrive.
Spring break should be a time of rest and fun for every child in Dublin. Thanks to Jamie, Terri, and the friends they have inspired, a few hundred more kids will have just that.