BackPack Pals Bridges the Hunger Gap
Program provides much-needed weekend food to SOMA children.
At-risk schoolchildren in South Orange and Maplewood benefit from the district's free breakfast and lunch programs. But those same children may face the prospect of a weekend without food. To bridge that hunger gap, Rent Party BackPack Pals provides weekend meals for children in need who attend SOMA schools. Volunteers assemble packs of kid-friendly, shelf-stable food such as canned pasta meals, fruit cups, boxed milk and cereal bars, and place them directly into students' backpacks on Friday afternoons or before school holidays.. Last year, the program delivered 1,036 packs of food to local children. To identify children who would benefit from the program, organizers David Wagner and Chris Dickson work closely with The Parenting Center …
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2:57 pm on Friday, September 14, 2012
Obesity is a problem in less affluent neighborhoods due to POOR FOOD OPTIONS, not because there's an abundance of food being eaten. It's better for people to eat a canned pasta meal than a $5 fried food and supersized sugery drink meal from Burger King. This program is an attempt to get better food options to our neighbors who are struggling to put food on the table. Great job Rent Party BackPack… more ›