Food program helps 30 kids
<p>Volunteer, Julie Krezman is loading cases of weekend food kits for delivery to Trinity Lutheran Church which will make their way to Naples School.</p><p> </p>
The Boundary County Back Pack program is in the second successful semester of providing 30 Naples school children with nutritious supplemental weekend food kits.
The group contracts with Second Harvest Food Bank in Spokane for pre-packaged food including milk, cereal, juice, fruit, pasta, etc.
Kits cost $6.09 per weekend pack per student. Boundary County families face the additional challenge of three day weekends because of the four day school week. The program is funded by caring community citizens, organizations and a grant from the Equinox Foundation.
Each Wednesday Anna Mae Spalding and Barbara Binnall stuff the backpacks, which Merle Dinning then delivers and distributes to Naples School on Thursdays.
Families with children who qualify for free and reduced breakfast and lunch programs are invited to apply for the community sponsored weekend program. Naples school was chosen for the first year pilot program because 76 percent of the students qualify for the school food programs.
Second Harvest, a partner of Feeding America reports that kids growing up in families where food is in short supply are at increased risk for behavioral problems, learning disabilities, and other physical and cognitive impairments. Research shows that children and teens lacking enough food are at increased risk of illness, failure in school, early pregnancy and incarceration. They are also at greater risk of being in poor health as adults.
The financial needs have been met for this year’s program of providing 30 backpacks per week through the school year. The group is working now to raise funds for the next school year, hopefully expanding to other schools.
Although a community wide group of volunteers, Trinity Lutheran Church serves as the BoCo Back Pack fiscal sponsor.
Anyone interested in contributing to the children, donations may be made to BoCoBack Packs c/o Trinity Lutheran 6784 Cody St, Bonners Ferry, ID 83805.
BoCo meets at 6 p.m. every third Thursday of the month at Trinity Lutheran Church.
Everyone is welcome. For more information call Shirley Anderson 267-3068.