BackPack Program Provides Weekend Meals for Hungry Children

One of Idaho Food Bank’s successful programs is their Backpack program which provides children with weekend food support throughout the school year. Idaho Food Bank Vice President of Development Jennifer Johnson shares how important this program is to participating elementary-age children.
Johnson: “The Backpack program is really about providing children with the nutrition they need to learn and to be able to continue in school. And take the pressure off the children and their families on the weekend so that they do feel like they do have the opportunity to go back to school and be prepare. It is an important program not only for the health of the child but for the health of the school, for the community, the family, and our state to have educated children who can continue on and do well in school.”
This year’s annual campaign for cash donations for this program just finished up in August and Johnson reports on the results.
Johnson: “It has been highly successfully and have raised more than enough to sustain the program for this school year. We provide 2,000 backpacks every school weekend for children in 159 schools and 53 school districts statewide."