There are 12,000 school age children in Chester County that face hunger in their homes everyday. They rely upon the free or reduced meals at school to help, but when the weekend arrives, they are not sure if there will be food to eat.
In these hard economic times, we see so many families struggling to afford food. The stress on parents is unthinkable; to not have enough food to feed your hungry child is heartbreaking. Food is a basic need for everyone but especially for growing children. Childhood nutrition is so critical to their mental and physical development.
Our BackPack Program is helping 1,000 kindergarden children a month, so they don’t have to skip meals over the weekend or face two days without food.
The BackPack Program is providing immediate help to a small portion of these families every week.At the food bank warehouse, volunteers help out weekly to fill these packs with nutritional snacks and meals. Each pack contains about 8lbs of food. Here are some of the items we provide to these children:
- Protein - Peanut Butter, pouches or small cans of tuna, chicken or beef
- Fruits & Vegetables - Fruit Cups packed in 100% juice, 100% fruit juice boxes
- Grains - Healthy Cereal (12 – 16 oz.), Macaroni & Cheese, pouches of Pasta Sides, pouches of Pasta Meals, Ready Rice Boxed grains
- Healthy Snacks - Raisins or dried fruit, Yogurt Cereal Bars, Fruit Filled Cereal Bars, Fruit Roll-Ups, Granola Bars, Crackers (plain, peanut butter, cheese), Instant Pudding
- Dairy - Shelf-stable milk (Parmalat)
On Fridays during the school year, we deliver the backpacks to several local elementary schools in the county. Volunteers & teachers at the school distributed the packs to the children. Teachers are so grateful for this program and tell us how the kids ask every week if they are getting food to take home. Educators know that a child facing hunger is unequipped to learn – this program is making a impact!
School age kids need nutrition and don’t need the stress of hunger in their home. They should not be skipping meals or face a weekend where they are not sure if there will be food. Our packs of food provide that nutrition they need to help them grow and learn.
How You Can Help
With your help, we can reach more of these families in need. Please consider getting involved in this program. Here are ways you can help:
MONETARY DONATIONS – Your donation will help us buy the food for the backpacks and help to feed hunger children in Chester County. Click on our DONATE button to make a donation now OR send a check make payable to the Chester County Food Bank at 1208 Horseshoe Pike, Downingtown, PA 19335. (write BACKPACK in the memo line)
CORPORATE SPONSORSHIP - The food bank is looking for local employers to help us fund the program. It is an amazing way to give your corporate donation dollars true power – to feed kids! To learn more about this special opportunity, please contact Program Director Phoebe Kitson at 610-873-6000.
HOST A BACKPACK FOOD DRIVE – Host a food drive at your workplace, sports group or religious organization. Just pick a DATE for your drive, select a LOCATION for the food donations and PROMOTE your drive with posters, emails. Here is a sample customizable flyer you can use to help promote your food drive: SampleFlyerBackPackfooddrive. Contact our staff to receive more information on the promotional materials for a food drive. 610-873-6000.
To learn more about the BackPack program, click here to see a copy of our Backpack Brochure (BackPackBroch)
