This story originally appeared in Matthew 25 Initiative‘s Stories That Shape Us, Issue No. 13 on Wednesday, October 29, 2025.
This week, many children in America will get bags of free candy, simply for knocking and asking. But on the other 364 nights of the year, 1 in 5 of these children will not know where their next meal is coming from. 10 million children in the United States are food insecure. That’s roughly 18% of families: living at or under the poverty level, without the adequate resources to buy enough food for their families.*
In Austin, Texas, one Anglican – along with a community of helpers who share the same vision – is filling bags with food every week, and doing her part to make sure no child in America has to wonder, “Will I get dinner tonight?”
In 2013 Lexie Dampier was an assistant professor of nursing in Kentucky. As part of an assignment to her class, she took nursing students to “high risk” schools in their community one day a week, to spend 3-4 hours with elementary students.
It was through these interactions that Lexie had her eyes opened to the realities faced by food insecure children. Most, if not all, of the students they met with received free school meals: breakfast and lunch.
“But what about dinners?” Lexie wondered. “And what about the weekends when the kids aren’t at school?”
In God’s gracious timing, Lexie’s local church began working with a national organization that provides food on the weekends for school-aged children across the city who might otherwise go hungry. Families brought donations to the church and Lexie’s small group adopted a classroom. The students who received the donations were able to bring home shelf-stable foods so that they wouldn’t have to miss a meal before Monday’s classes began again.
“The backpacks were making a difference in the student’s lives,” Lexie says, “The community was filling the ‘weekend gap.’”
In 2018, Lexie and her husband, Matt, were called to Christ Church in Austin, Texas, where Matt stepped into the role of Rector in 2024. But the tug was still on her heart to make sure children in her community didn’t go hungry. She wanted her church to be a light in Austin’s geographic parish, just like it was in Kentucky.
“No kid should have to worry about getting a meal. There is NO reason why kids should go hungry in this country.” Lexie says. And so she met with the director of community engagement at her church and shared her desires.
“You’re never going to believe this,” he said, “But I just met with a local director of a community mission – they are starting a program for this very thing!” Lexie wasn’t looking to reinvent the wheel, so she said: “Sign me up!”
She met with the community director to discuss how they could make this work sustainable. It started small: One school. Then Two. Every school kept adding more students. Then more schools began reaching out.
Every Tuesday, volunteers gather to pack bags with food. Lexie describes the atmosphere of the “packing parties”: “It’s a safe place to be. People bring their kids. People bring non-believing friends. We chat, we talk about the gospel, we pray for these kids, we fill bags. And from such a minimal, low-cost investment comes such a big impact: every week, 240+ kids are getting fed!”
And the impact goes beyond simply reducing hunger pangs. National research data has shown that filling the “weekend gap” of food results in children having better attendance at school, an easier time learning, and fewer behavior issues. Families feel seen and cared for by their communities.
At the Matthew 25 Initiative, we believe that the Church shows the heart of Christ when it meets both spiritual and physical hunger. Lexie’s story reminds us that the work of mercy often begins in small acts—one meal, one child, one conversation—and grows into a movement of love that nourishes entire communities. Through ministries like these, the Kingdom comes a little closer: hands packing food, hearts lifted in prayer, and children resting full and unafraid.
*https://www.nokidhungry.org/who-we-are/hunger-facts
