Backpack Heroes Campaign Continues to Combat Childhood Hunger
4/28/2022
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Posted by Betsy Dickson, Director of Children’s Programs Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York
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Children's Health,
In The Community
The BackPack Program | Back-To-School Food Drive for Children of New York
Although all eyes are on the BackPack Program during the Back-To-School season (thanks in no small part to our friends at Fidelis Care who sponsor the Backpack Heroes campaign) the work of BackPack continues throughout the school year. This Friday, bags of food will be distributed to more than 6,300 students across 22 counties of northeastern New York. Over 500 of these children receive bags because of the success of the 2021 Backpack Heroes campaign, which raised over $100,000 to support the program.
BackPack provides kid-friendly staples to food insecure children each Friday throughout the school year. Students are enrolled by school staff, and discreetly pick up their bags before heading home for the weekend. The kids can count on favorites like mac & cheese, PB & J, oatmeal, spaghetti Os, cereal, and pasta with sauce along with fresh fruit and bread.
Students also receive a gift card good for a dozen eggs and a gallon of milk. New to the program this year is the addition of optional frozen and refrigerated foods that schools can order, depending on each school’s ability to distribute these foods and their students’ preferences. Throughout the year, schools have been able to order foods like cheese sticks, ground beef, frozen pizzas, biscuits, and yogurt.
To make sure the program is as advantageous for participating families as possible, the Food Bank distributed a survey to all students participating in the program. Here’s what we learned, and what we’re doing with the information we gained:
- 56% of respondents do not currently receive SNAP benefits. To help eligible families, we will be sending out SNAP enrollment literature in the bags.
- 65% of respondents don’t utilize their local food pantry, listing transportation, hours of operation and stigma as limiting factors. To help encourage families to use this local resource, we will be sending out information on local food pantries. Some pantries will provide delivery or appointments outside of their normal hours to help overcome obstacles to accessing the pantry.
- The fresh fruit, milk and egg cards are appreciated by children and parents alike. These fresh foods are nutrient dense, versatile and can stretch across multiple meals.
The BackPack program would not be possible without the unwavering commitment Fidelis Care has shown year after year. Over the past 6 years, the Backpack Heroes campaign has raised over $420,000 to support those in need. Not only does BackPack Heroes raise critical funding, but it also raises awareness that there is hunger in every community across the Food Bank’s 23 county footprint. We are so thankful for our friends at Fidelis Care.
P.S. The important work of BackPack doesn’t stop when school lets out for the summer. Summer BackPack picks up right where school year BackPack left off!
Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York
History & Mission: The Regional Food Bank has been helping to feed the poor and hungry in our communities since 1982. It is the only organization of its kind in northeastern New York. The Food Bank collects large donations of food from the food industry and distributes it to charitable agencies serving hungry and disadvantaged people in 23 counties. From Plattsburgh to Newburgh, in urban, rural, and suburban communities, the Food Bank provides over 55 million pounds of food a year to 1,000 agencies. The Food Bank is a member of Feeding America, the national network of food banks.
