For those of you who are not familiar with the “BackPack Program”, it is a newer program that was started through a joint partnership between the Food Bank and the local school system. Through this program, at-risk children are provided with backpacks filled with nutritious, child-friendly, easy-to-prepare food for the weekends. With the help of volunteers, thousands of backpacks are filled each week. Each volunteer is assigned a specific task. Some of these tasks include placing items in the bags, filling boxes, tying bags, loading bins, and stacking pallets.


Before leaving the Food Bank, a volunteer coordinator shared some stories with us. These stories were about some of the letters and comments he has received in regards to the program. One story really stood out about a letter a school counselor received from a dad stating how grateful he was to receive two bags of food for his three children to split over the weekend. He went on to share how he was experiencing some hardship and how the food really helped.


Hearing these stories made all of the hard work worthwhile. It made us appreciate some of the things, such as food, that we take for granted every day. Upon leaving that day, we realized how two hours of our time had and will truly make a difference in someone’s life. We consider it a gift to have had this experience.

Volunteers Included: Brian C., Brian L., Darrin, David, Helene, Mark, Mandi, Phuong, Steph, Shelly &
Staff members -  Diana, Dyllon, Matt, Megan, and Jen.