By: Stacy Fisher
I wish I could say that our children are the first to volunteer, eager to help. After the holidays, sadly, our children were more likely to pat down visitors looking for presents. As our recycle bin embarrassingly overflowed with wrapping paper and cardboard…we searched for some balance. We were looking for a local organization needing volunteers, that would also be appropriate for small children. I had heard about ForKids Backpack program at the Thurston County Food Bank. Elementary school children who depend on the free and reduced lunch program face the weekend hungry, and the Backpack program provides a much needed bridge.
When the Backpack program started in 2007, the Food Bank identified 671 food insecure children who needed additional help. A staggering 1,200+ children in our area receive this food each week, and the numbers are not declining. The Backpack program works in cooperation with our local elementary schools, as children are identified and recommended to be included by their school counselors and teachers. Food is delivered to children each Friday, and the kids receive a secret stash of easy to prepare food in their own backpacks – a clever and discrete method of transporting the food home. On a monthly basis, additional services including toiletries, books and school supplies are also included. Most of these children are homeless; however, some are children of families that are just having trouble making ends meet.
Simone Boe was working at her local school one Friday, when she saw a young boy rip open his backpack. He was delighted with his food delivery, and began devouring the food then and there. After asking questions about where the food came from, she was directed to Cheryl Falkenburg at the Food Bank who manages the Backpack program. This program relies on volunteer hours to assemble and deliver the food items each week. Boe gathered reinforcements, and created a group of families called Food4Kids. They started with five families and after three years, over 30 families meet regularly to volunteer their time to support feeding the kids.
So, we set out, prepped with snacks and praying for limited whining from our boys. We propped our boys up on crates, smiled at our neighbors and wondered how we would get through all the boxes of food in front of us. Once we started, the bags started zipping by full of granola bars, soups, snacks, proteins and cereals. The kids were having a great time, chatting with other kids about the latest Captain Underpants book they just read and deciding which granola bar should be placed in which bag. Granted, our boys needed regular encouragement and reminders not to drop or eat the food… but they were surprisingly focused. Our team consisted almost equally of adults and children, from four years old to grandparents. We took a break for a quick game of freeze tag and snacks and got back to it. A couple of hours later and we were thrilled to see the mountain of over 700 food bags we had assembled.
The boys took to the other families immediately, as did we, which was a great ancillary benefit of participating in this community service. This particular experience was as tangible for the kids helping as it is for the kids receiving the food. As Simone Boe commented, “Kids can see the problem and be part of the solution”. Our boys enjoyed it because it was “so fun! We made so many new friends!”
The For Kids Backpack program serves 31 elementary schools, one middle school, two head start locations and one special needs program. The program provided over 40,000 weekend meal bags in 2011 and the number continues to grow. Volunteers from all over the community including families, home schooled children, college students and boy scouts, are relied on to assemble and distribute the food. They are always looking for additional financial assistance and rely on volunteer hours. If you would like additional information on how you can support this program, please contact Cheryl Falkenburg at the Thurston County Food Bank 360-352-8597.
