Belmont’s Peace Lutheran Church and Methodist churches held their annual Vacation Bible School with the theme “Animal Crackers” July 28–Aug. 1. This year the children brought a donation each night for Heifer International, a program to give gifts of animals to people in poor countries. The gift is ongoing in that the family who receives the animal must give the first-born female animal to another family in its village. The children and families gathered at the closing program raised $753.59 to purchase animals — a cow, a water buffalo (the original goal) and some chickens to people in need.