John HarrisonAngel Fund
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John’s story

A street corner became a starting point.

John turned his Faith Riders ministry toward a need close to home—helping children in his own community eat at school.

“So all kids can eat” was not a campaign line. It was the reason John kept returning to the corner.

John Harrison smiling while wearing his Faith Riders vest and hat
John Harrison in the black-and-yellow Faith Riders colors.
John Harrison holding his original handmade Sparta School Lunch Program Angel Fund sign
John with the original sign: “So all kids can eat” and Matthew 25:35.

The person behind the promise

John made the mission visible.

His handmade sign named the need in the clearest terms possible. These family-supplied photographs preserve both the message and the man who carried it into the community.

The story so far

A simple action that outlived its first goal.

John knew what it was like to go hungry. When he saw a way to help children in his own community, he made that need part of his ministry.

John belonged to a Faith Riders chapter based in Chippewa Falls. The distance made it difficult for him to take part in all of the chapter’s fundraising, so he looked for a need he could serve closer to home in Sparta.

The Sparta Area School District had maintained a lunch assistance fund since 2009. In spring 2019, John began collecting near Walgreens at Wisconsin Street and Black River Street. Saturday by Saturday, neighbors stopped to give. His personal goal was $10,000.

He had raised about $3,000 before he died unexpectedly in June 2019. His family, friends, and neighbors carried the collection forward. By August, community giving had reached $10,305.

John’s family—Terri and the girls—continued the work in his memory, raising more than $28,000 over three years. COVID disrupted the public fundraising they had been doing and forced them to step back.

Today, the family says the available funds are falling while the need remains high. John’s reason for beginning is still the reason to keep going.

Memorial plaque for The John Harrison Memorial Angel Lunch Fund, established August 27, 2019
The memorial plaque supplied by John’s family.

August 27, 2019

The fund took John’s name.

The plaque records The John Harrison Memorial Angel Lunch Fund as established in his memory and in honor of the time and heart he gave to children of the Sparta Area School District.

Milestones

From one corner to an enduring community effort.

  1. A local fund begins

    The Sparta Area School District established a lunch assistance fund for children whose families were facing serious financial hardship.

  2. John takes to the corner

    John turned his Faith Riders ministry toward a need close to home. Knowing what it was like to go hungry, he began collecting near Walgreens in Sparta so local children could eat at school.

  3. The community carries it forward

    John had raised about $3,000 toward his personal $10,000 goal before his unexpected death. His family and community continued the work.

  4. John’s goal is surpassed

    Community giving had reached $10,305. A family-supplied memorial plaque records The John Harrison Memorial Angel Lunch Fund as established on August 27, 2019.

  5. The family raises more than $28,000

    John’s family—Terri and the girls—continued the work in his memory and raised more than $28,000 over three years. COVID disrupted their public fundraising and forced them to step back.

  6. The work continues

    The family says available funds are falling while the need remains high. Neighbors, businesses, and local organizations can help carry John’s promise forward.

Carry it forward

The next chapter belongs to everyone willing to help.

Find your way to helpMeet the community behind it