Children at First United Methodist Church preschool took part in Riding for Blessings on Saturday. 

The school hosted its annual Trik-a-Thon fundraising event, once again benefitting the Blessings in a Backpack ministry.

“We used to ride for St. Jude, but we decided to do support something local,” said Nicole Froelicher, director of the preschool program. “If you’re not familiar with Blessings in a Backpack, they do such good work.”

The ministry provides food items for hundreds of children in Brookhaven and Lincoln County each year.

And having the youngsters at the preschool support children is a natural fit.

About 40 participants, ages infant to 5 years old, took part in the Trik-a-Thon event, which began at 10 a.m. Saturday.

Each participant is sponsored, with a goal of $115 raised per “rider.”

After the Trik-a-Thon, the various church ministries hosted games and activities for the participants and the community at large.

There were games and activities, hamburgers, a cake sale, face painting and a cake walk for the children.

Anyone who would like to sponsor a child or make a donation towards the Blessings in a Backpack effort can contact the preschool at 601-990-2323.