In August, Publix announced a $5 million donation to the Feeding America network, schools and other nonprofits to help alleviate hunger across the Southeast. According to the most recent Meal Gap report from Feeding South Florida, part of the Feeding America network, 19.4 percent of children in South Florida are food insecure. This means about 240,190 children here go to bed hungry every night.
Some of these children could be in school alongside your own while facing the serious developmental consequences that have long been associated with food insecurity. One way communities are alleviating this problem is by creating a food backpack program that provides weekend meals throughout the school year for families of students in need.
If you think there might be a need at your child’s school, there are steps you can take to start a food backpack program in your community.
Set up a meeting
Talk to the school counselor, the principal or other staff member about what needs to be done and what’s being done already. You might learn the school has a program in place that would welcome the additional hands on deck, or you might be starting from scratch.
Determine the need
Before you start taking donations and buying food, assess the level of need at the school. School administrators will have information about students who receive food or other financial assistance. Though they can’t share these students’ names, they can tell you the number of students enrolled in free meal programs and the number of people in their households.
Create a plan
Once you know how many families are in need, create a plan that includes promoting the program, collecting donations, and a schedule for buying food, packing it and delivering it. Though you might be eager to get started immediately, take a realistic look at how long it will take to get everything in place for a successful program that runs throughout the school year.
Choose a launch date that gives you plenty of time to coordinate volunteers, shop and pack.
Gather support
Once the program is approved by the school, announce your plans at parent meetings, on school community chat boards and in school newsletters. Reach out to local nonprofits and businesses for donations and volunteers. This is also a great way to get kids involved in solving problems in their own community.
You could be helping five families, or you might be helping 25. Either way, having help and support from other parents and students makes this a community effort.
Collect supplies
Planning ahead is crucial if your goal is to provide nutritious, delicious and complete meals. It’s much easier for a family to make a meal with pasta and sauce than it is with a can of cranberry sauce and black beans. So instead of simply asking for food donations, consider planning out weekend meals for a semester at a time. Give donors a choice of providing items on a food list for that week or an amount that would equal a meal or an entire backpack.
Food items should be nonperishable, and you might want to consider including a grocery store gift card for the purchase of fresh fruits, veggies and protein.
You’ll also need to get backpacks for every child receiving assistance.
Deliver the goods
Coordinate the best time and location for dropping off packed bags with your school contact. To protect students’ privacy, you most likely won’t hand the packs to the students directly. Because they will be taking the packed backpacks home on Fridays, it’s a good idea to have the packs dropped off at the school by Thursday afternoon. This gives the school time to distribute them.
This article is published as part of the Sun Sentinel Kids of Character program sponsored by Publix, which recognizes kids and staff in South Florida public schools who exhibit the character traits of responsibility, kindness and cooperation. The honorees are recognized at an annual awards ceremony. Visit www.publix.com to find a store near you, discover delicious recipes and learn more about how they support community programs.
Jessica Chesler for Publix