An Inspiring New Story Has Arrived: Introducing Lucas and Emily’s Food Bank Adventure!

Hello, Readers! Our newest children’s book is now on shelves and we are making an impact in a whole new way!

Lucas and Emily’s Food Bank Adventure takes Grandpa, Lucas, Emily and Jack to see the local community organizations that contribute to their community by giving food to those who need it.

The children are filled with curiosity and an eagerness to help as they learn more about how to bring in food, stock shelves, and help organize boxes and sandwich bags for delivery around the community.

This beautiful children’s book is for children and grandparents, educators, school libraries and volunteer clubs to understand more about the local food pantry and to work together to give much needed support in their local communities.

Book Inspirations…The inspiration behind the book came from many places. One inspirational place was at breakfast, with the author and his grandson. The Author Dave Grunenwald thinks of the collaboration and his precious time spent talking to his grandson as follows:

On Fridays, I go to breakfast with my grandson Liam. I pick him up at 7:00AM and return him by 8:00AM so he can get on the bus for school. We look for things to do together. Counting school buses while logging school bus numbers. Drawing pictures of each other. We play tic-tac-toe and other games usually found on placemats. Always something fun. My relationship with him inspired the book series Grandparent Merit Badges.

One day we talked about school. When the subject of lunch came up, we got to talking about how the school provides lunches for some kids. That inspired me to write a Lucas and Emily adventure about food banks.

I prepared an outline of the Food Bank Adventure and brought it to breakfast. We went through the outline and I jotted notes about his thoughts for each topic. The best part was when I asked him if he had ever heard of 'The Sandwich People'.

Liam’s reaction was the same as Lucas in the book, he said, "Sandwich People, what is that!" giving me that look kids give you when they are puzzled by something. I could see the wheels turning as I imagined he pictured sandwiches with faces and legs. I made notes. This went on for three weeks as I gathered our collective thoughts.

I told him The Sandwich People was a group of people who volunteered to bag lunches for homeless people.

"Do you want to volunteer someday?" I asked. "Yes!" he said enthusiastically. We volunteered on a Saturday morning.

As luck would have it there were two other volunteers about his age of 7. They had fun selecting items like apples, fruit juice, etc. and placing them in bags. He asked the coordinator "Where are the sandwiches?" We make and add those later just before we go out to distribute them so they are fresh," she replied. It was a great experience.

The Food Bank Adventure is very much a collaboration between us. We even told his brother Myles, who is 2, about the Sandwich People. He simply said "Sandwich People."

‍I have spent time at the Cleveland Food Bank, while donating some of the Lucas and Emily Adventure books and Grandparent Merit Badges. I also attended their taste test for high school kids the last two years. They use these to evaluate some of the food they package for others.

The number of people—young and old—who need food right now is staggering. I’m truly in awe of the dedicated volunteers who pour thousands of hours into making food banks run. It’s a massive, coordinated effort.

The Greater Cleveland Food Bank has made a powerful impact across the region—with over 424,000 meals served in 2024 alone across six counties! What an achievement. Their success is made possible by a dedicated network of partners and volunteers, whose collective efforts make a real difference in the lives of so many.

There are countless ways to get involved and support your local food bank through volunteering and giving.

Here are just a few simple ways to make a big difference:

• Visit your local food bank – Take a tour and ask which essential items are most needed (like rice, peanut butter, or canned protein). Then, organize a food drive to collect those items!
  
  
• Team up for a cause – Host a food drive with your sports team and turn teamwork into impact.
  
  
• Start a neighborhood food drive – Rally your neighbors and collect donations together.
  
  
• Get your school involved – Ask your teacher if your class can organize a food drive, or write a letter to your principal to start a school-wide Food Fight! (It’s a fun competition to see which class can bring in the most donations.)
  
  
• Partner with your place of worship – Ask your church or religious community about hosting a diaper drive or food drive.
  
  
• Volunteer with family – Invite a parent or grandparent to join you in sorting or distributing food at the local food bank.
  
  
• Give a little each month – Even small monthly donations can go a long way. Here’s a link to support the Greater Cleveland Food Bank.
  
  
• Inspire young minds and hearts – Read Lucas and Emily’s Food Bank Adventure with your kids and grandkids to spark meaningful conversations about helping others in your community.
  
  

Another great inspiration for the book came from Kathy Pockett and the Sandwich People Ministries. Kathy and her family go out in the community and bring the absolute best sandwich bags to people who are in need, the homeless, and the needy. She has a group of volunteers who get together regularly and make an assembly line to pack sandwiches and prepare them for delivery. Not only is Kathy and her ministry an inspiration, she has made a difference in her community. When people see her, they excitedly say, “It’s the Sandwich People!” 

We wrote a blog about Kathy’s ministry that you can read about here. Kathy is also featured in our book, as she inspired Dave and his grandson and her moving story became a feature in Lucas and Emily’s Food Bank Adventure. 

With so many people in the community pitching in, in various incredible ways, it was a natural fit for Dave to piece it together with his grandson and build a beautiful story for children to understand and enjoy. 

“Kindness is contagious,” says Dave. “I wanted to create a story that shows kids how powerful their actions can be—even small ones. Volunteering doesn’t have to be boring or serious; it can be an adventure!”

Dave says, My advice is simple: if you’re able, please consider donating money, food, or your time. Every bit helps, and the need isn’t going away anytime soon. Food banks in Cleveland serve hundreds of thousands, and across the country, they reach millions.

As shown in Lucas and Emily’s Food Bank Adventure, food banks meet local needs. Some are large operations, others are small and grassroots—like the Sandwich People. But they all matter.

Dave Grunenwald is the creator of the Grandparent Merit Badges series of books (available in English and Spanish), which features hands-on activities that kids love, designed to spark laughter, learning, and connection between grandparents and their young grandchildren. 

The Lucas and Emily Adventure Series has been recognized for an award! Lucas and Emily’s Animal Adventure was thrilled to receive a Finalist Award in 2024 by the American Book Fest! We truly hope that our newest addition to the series will make a beautiful impact on kindness, community support and families volunteering together.

If you are interested in Lucas and Emily’s Food Bank Adventure or book series for your school library, classroom, or your club or organization, please reach out to us today! 

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