The children of Bethesda Mennonite Church in Henderson, Neb., raised funds in June for Mennonite Central Committee food baskets, full of staple items like grains, as well as the oil and salt needed to turn ingredients into filling meals. They raised over $14,000.

Through their yearly vacation ­Bible school, they followed the journey of Joseph in Egypt. They learned how famine impacted families in ­Joseph’s time and how many families, in Nebraska and worldwide continue to face hunger today.

Church leaders, including Pastor Andrea Wall, asked: “What does it mean for us to be agents of God’s care and provision in today’s world to help those who are hungry?”

The church had learned that $65 could fund an MCC basket that would help to feed three families for a month. And so, the VBS group of more than 100 children from preschool to sixth grade set a goal of raising $3,250 for 50 food baskets June 2-6. As funds were raised, VBS staff and volunteers built a pyramid of canned vegetables, each can representing $65 raised.

“Well, the kids crushed it and raised over $5,000 for a total of 77 cans,” Wall said. “I heard stories of kids who were emptying their piggy banks in the morning and kids who . . . instead of getting snacks at the pool in the afternoon were giving it to the offering.”

Her own children and their cousins raised about $150 in two days through a lemonade stand. Even when the weather turned rainy and cool, they stuck close to the stand, umbrellas in tow, and neighbors came out and supported them.

On the Sunday after VBS ended, the children shared what they’d learned with the congregation. And they shared how much money they’d raised so far. Inspired by the children’s efforts, another $2,200 was donated that day, bringing their offering to over $7,000.

“And then we had an estate gift come in,” Wall said. “The family was so inspired by what the kids had done that they wanted to match it.”

In total, the project raised over $14,000, more than double their initial goal.

The veggies from the pyramid of cans were donated to the Can-Care-A-Van, a statewide food fundraiser supported by a local news channel.

Wall said the leaders had a lot of fun encouraging the kids, telling them, “Look what you can do. You can start out small and it can end up being a huge impact in the same way that Joseph basically was just faithful to God in the hardest times and ultimately, he . . . ended up saving the whole region.”

She added: “It was a really cool way to connect the Bible story to modern-day life and . . . allow the Spirit to work in our midst.”