Chester Lioness Lions Club and Wellpoint Volunteers Create 1,000 Breakfast and Lunch Bags for nourish.NJ

On Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025, Chester Lioness volunteers and eight Wellpoint employees created 400 Rise ‘n Shine bags and 600 lunch bags for nourish.NJ at the Church of the Messiah, Chester, N.J.

The food-for-youth program was funded by a $2,500 grant from Lions Club International and an anonymous gift from friends of a Chester Lioness, which allowed the Chester Lionesses to provide the breakfast and lunch bags for Morris County residents who face food insecurities.

“We are grateful for the support of our community, whether through time or donations toward the nourish.NJ project,” said Rosemary Lohrmann, president of the Chester Lioness organization. “Together we can make an impact on fighting hunger.”

The Breakfast Rise ‘n Shine bags, distributed to children who might not have access to breakfast, included Cheerios, Parmalat milk, water, an orange, and a protein bar. The oranges were purchased at Weis, Mansfield, with the cost offset by a generous $100 gift card donation from the store. The lunch bags created included a cup of soup, Ramen noodles, water, protein bars and tea bags.

The bags were uniquely decorated by Mrs. Gretchen Capan’s classes at Chester’s Bragg Elementary school. Kohl’s Mansfield and Kohl’s Ledgewood donated shopping bags for the delivery of the breakfast and lunch bags to nourish.NJ.

The Church of the Messiah, Chester, offered the space needed to assemble the bags. Chester Boy Scout Troop 139 helped organize supplies and move the bags. Giuseppe’s Pizzeria, Chester, provided pizzas for the volunteers.

With 34 members, the Chester Lioness Lions Club is a volunteer service organization chartered under Lions Club International. Partnering with local organizations, the Chester Lioness Lions Club provides hands-on service to people in need. They conduct more than 20 volunteer-based programs each year to serve the people of Morris County.