By: Lora Wimsatt
It’s as simple as that.
The start of a new school year often means buying a new backpack. Most of us have experienced the fun and excitement of filling those packs with crisp, clean paper and bright crayons as our children look forward to the first day of school.
But for many children in our community, backpacks have a very different meaning.
“It’s hard to imagine hungry children in Owensboro and Daviess County,” said Mike Gray, community services coordinator for the Daviess County Public Schools district. “But that is very much a reality in our community.”
More than 50 percent of students attending DCPS schools – about 6,000 children – live in households whose low income levels qualify them to receive free or reduced price lunches at school. For the Owensboro Public Schools district, that figure is about 3,750 children, 75 percent of the district’s students.
Although these children receive a nutritious breakfast and lunch on school days, weekends and holidays are another story.
School personnel report seeing children literally run from the school bus to the cafeteria on Monday morning to eat breakfast. For many of these children, this is the first good meal they’ve had since they ate lunch at school on Friday. Staff also noticed children “saving” an apple or other items from their lunch on Friday to take home, because they knew they would be hungry over the weekend.
“It would break our hearts to see a child scarfing down their breakfast and asking for seconds on Monday mornings in the school cafeteria,” said Stephanie Keelin, Family Resource Center coordinator at Meadow Lands Elementary School. “We knew they were not getting enough to eat at home over the weekend.”
Thanks to caring, compassionate people in our community, however, this story is changing.
The premise is a simple one. Every Friday, children who might otherwise go hungry over the weekend are discreetly given a backpack filled with basic non-perishable food items that are child-friendly, nutritious, and easy to prepare and eat. Items might include cereal, peanut butter, soup or applesauce – enough food for six simple meals.
The child returns the empty backpack to school on Monday, and volunteers pick them up to be refilled and ready for distribution again the following Friday. Distribution is handled quietly and with great respect for the child’s privacy.
Backpack Feeding was first introduced here in 2008 when Settle Memorial United Methodist Church stepped forward to pilot the program for about 50 families at Audubon Elementary School. Settle Memorial has remained a faithful supporter ever since. To date, the church has filled more than 11,950 backpacks … and will meet the continuing need at Audubon again this year.
“Settle Memorial is a true partner,” said Kelly May, Family Resource Center coordinator at Audubon Elementary. “They have faithfully committed to our families and have found a way to allow their members to contribute in whatever way they can, whether through financial support, loading food into backpacks, delivering backpacks to the school or picking them up.”
Other churches, businesses and organizations – and even some individuals – have stepped forward to “adopt” a school or a child through the Backpack Feeding Program. Owensboro Parent Magazine donated proceeds from a photo booth at their recent Birthday Bash to support the program.
“We hear a lot right now about ‘entitlement’ and demanding that people be responsible for themselves,” said one local school official. “But these are children – children who are in no way responsible for their situations. The only way to break the cycle of poverty is through education, and giving these children an opportunity to take their place as contributing members of our society. But children who are hungry cannot learn. It’s as simple as that.”
Jennifer Thurman, who serves as the Family Resource Center director at Sutton Elementary School, said the Backpack Feeding Program is making a difference.
“I have children who ask me every week if they will get their backpack on Friday,” Jennifer said. “They definitely look forward to it. I remember one little boy for whom the backpack program helped him make a positive connection to school. This relationship was developed because of his appreciation for the weekend backpack. These positive connections with school go a long way in ensuring that a child will be successful.”
“Thankfully, the backpack program has made it possible for us to reach out to those families who are struggling to provide food for their children over the weekend,” Stephanie Keelin said.
Burns Elementary School Family Resource Center director Christina Dalton was reminded last year about how much children depend on these bags when a student who had already attended several different schools during the year transferred to BES. All of his previous schools participated in backpack feeding, and Christina said, “It was his first priority to make sure we offered that program too.”
In addition to weekends, Christina said BES program sponsors also keep an eye on weather. “If we have a chance of snow in the forecast, they will make sure the kids get those bags before we are closed for a snow day and the kids might be at home without food.”
Michelle Mayfield, Youth Services Center director at Owensboro High School, said the backpacks are important for older students too. “Some people might say that high school students won’t participate in the program because they would be embarrassed,” Michelle said. “The students who participate know they are meeting a family need and do not mind taking a bag home when done discreetly. The program also gives our YSC staff an opportunity for a weekly encounter with students to check on how their school year is going. It’s about the connection.”
While there may not be any statistics or data to measure the value of the backpack feeding program, Christina Dalton spoke for many educators when she said, “I cannot measure the effectiveness of this program but being able to feed hungry children will always be a positive result.”
The cost of providing weekend meals for a child for one school year is approximately $100.
If your church, business, organization or family would like to meet a need right here in our hometown, contact a school near you; or the following district representatives:
Lisa McCarty
Chief Operating Officer for Human Resources and Support Services
Owensboro Public Schools
450 Griffith Avenue
Owensboro KY 42301
270-686-1000
[email protected]
Mike Gray
Community Services Coordinator
Daviess County Public Schools
1622 Southeastern Parkway
Owensboro KY 42303
270-852-7000
[email protected]