“Feeding the Birds, Warming the Hearts”

When the first cold snap rolled through Maple Gap last week, most folks reached for sweaters and soup pots. But at Maple Gap Farm & Feed, Doug Whitmarsh and Andrew Ingles had a different kind of plan - one that involved seed scoops, thermoses of cocoa, and a whole lot of heart.

The pair teamed up with the Maple Gap Baptist youth group for a weekend outreach called “Feed the Birds, Bless the Hands.” Their mission? To make sure the town’s senior residents - many of whom keep birdfeeders outside their kitchen windows - had everything they needed to keep their feathered friends fed through the chilly days ahead.

“It’s about more than birdseed,” Doug said, wiping his hands on his flannel sleeves. “It’s about reminding our seniors they’re seen, cared for, and still very much part of this community.”

Armed with 25-pound bags of seed and homemade suet cakes (crafted by the youth group in the church kitchen), the teens fanned out across Maple Gap. Andrew drove the feed truck, while Pastor Miller followed along in his old pickup, delivering hot chocolate and encouragement in equal measure.

Miss Lucille Cordell summed it up best when she opened her door to find her feeders full again: “I just wanted a little songbird company. Turns out, I got a whole choir of kindness instead.”