Lunch group supports Champions for Children’s Mental Health

Lunch With A Purpose Coastal Delaware members gathered May 7 at the Clubhouse at Baywood Greens in support of Champions for Children’s Mental Health, based in Milford.

CCMH serves families of children and youth with behavioral, emotional and mental health challenges. It helps families navigate the complex issues to find support in schools, healthcare and the courts. The family-run nonprofit is structured under the guidelines of the National Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health.

Barbara Messick, CCMH executive director and founder, asked the 211 attendees to think about all the children they know who may need help and support, and include the parents of these children.

Lori Leonard shared her personal journey and spoke about the support she received from CCMH. She is a mother of three adopted children, one of whom had violent-behavior incidents. The family support provider from CCMH helped Leonard understand her child better and learn how to provide consistency, structure and boundaries. Support is confidential, and Leonard said she never felt judged. 

The event raised $7,606 in cash and $3,490 in in-kind donations. A total of 1,401 pounds of food items was collected for the Food Bank of Delaware.

To learn more, go to ChampionsDE.org and find Lunch With A Purpose/Coastal Delaware on Facebook.