Backpack program focused on younger kids who don't have food

This school year, all needy elementary school-age kids in Washington and Russell counties will have the opportunity to take a free bag of food home each weekend.

United Way of Russell and Washington Counties announced Wednesday a $65,000-a-year program to put healthy, kid-friendly food into the backpacks of 340 kids who otherwise go hungry at home. This is to help supplement the food those kids receive from school breakfast and lunch programs during each school day.

“It’s basically focused on the younger kids who don’t have food,” said United Way CEO Travis Staton. “There’s so much tied to this, academically, emotionally, behaviorally, that’s connected to kids being hungry.”

He said children who are hungry tend to get sick more often, miss more school, have greater difficulty learning and get in trouble more often. He said United Way is tackling hunger through the “Backpacks Unite Program” as one of the root causes of these other problems.

When school starts, Staton said, principals, teachers and guidance counselors will select children who could benefit from the program and get parents’ permission before sending home food every Friday to kids at 17 schools.

“Last year, we began a pilot program at Glade Spring Middle School and today we’re very excited to have the opportunity to offer a broad scale backpack program to schools in both counties to aid in the well-being of our students,” United Way Chairman Fred Parker said in a written statement. “In today’s economy, this backpack program is essential to ensure that no child goes without the necessary nutrition to flourish and thrive in life.”

Staton said the tight economy leaves some families with a choice between buying food and paying for utility bills and gasoline.

He said the organization has worked with Food City’s corporate registered dietitian to select a healthy menu and the discount food will be purchased from Food City.

He said the first month’s menu includes oatmeal, cereal bars, wheat crackers, peanut butter, mandarin oranges, tuna and raisins.

“There’s no better investment we can make than in our youth,” said Food City President and CEO Steve Smith, in a written statement.

The program will serve six of Washington County’s seven elementary schools: Greendale, High Point, Meadowview, Rhea Valley, Watauga and Valley Institute. Abingdon Elementary School already has a program in place with local churches.

Rhea Valley, Meadowview and High Point also have existing backpack food programs, said Janet Lester, elementary supervisor for Washington County Schools. She said the United Way program will supplement the existing programs in those schools by increasing the number of students who can receive the backpacks.

In Russell County, the program will serve Belfast, Castlewood, Cleveland, Copper Creek, Elk Garden, Givens, Honaker, Lebanon and Swords Creek elementary schools, Lebanon Primary and Lebanon Middle School.

Middle schools in Glade Spring and Smyth County will continue to be served by Bread of Life Food Pantry in Saltville.

Staton said the program is also part of a larger, soon-to-be-announced initiative to tackle children’s health issues in the region, particularly childhood obesity and its resulting health problems.

Eventually, he said, he hopes the backpack program can expand into an opportunity to work with families on nutrition and teaching them how to grow and prepare their own healthy food.

For now, he’s hoping to get businesses, localities and community organizations on board to help fund the program and give hands-on help by volunteering to package and distribute food to the schools each week.

He also hopes the program will become a model for others in the region.

“This program can be done anywhere,” Staton said. “If we can get other organizations in other localities to kind of adopt this model, it would help all through Southwest Virginia.”

dmccown@bristolnews.com
(276) 791-0701

YOU SHOULD KNOW

To donate to the Backpacks United program:

Text BACKPACK to 27722 to make a $10 contribution;
Donate online at rwcunitedway.org;
Mail a contribution to United Way of Russell and Washington Counties, P.O. Box 644, Abingdon, VA 24212;
Call (276) 628-2160 if your company or organization is interested in sponsoring a school or a month of the program with a donation and/or volunteers.

According to United Way:

Nearly one in four children in America are at risk of hunger
Sixty-five percent of America’s teachers regularly see children come to school hungry
Two-thirds of teachers say most of their students rely on school meals as their primary source of nutrition

Backpacks United, by the numbers: