Olivia is your average seven-year-old. She loves puppies and scrunchies and is in the second grade at your local elementary school. But she doesn’t really like school. And the reason why might surprise you.
Olivia sometimes has trouble paying attention in class because she’s hungry. Especially on Mondays. She feels weak and her head hurts, and the words and numbers just swirl around on the pages she’s supposed to be reading.
Who Benefits from the Backpack Program?
While most kids look forward to Fridays and love the weekend, Olivia sometimes dreads them. On Fridays, when she would get home from a long day at school, her stomach growling, she’d open the refrigerator only to find it empty.
This is what food insecurity looks like. It’s a quiet problem in our community, and it affects tens of thousands of people like Olivia, who are falling through the cracks.
In fact, someone like Olivia might be living just a couple of doors down from you. You might see her parents leave for work every morning. And yet, she’s hungry. And without your help, she’s going to stay hungry.
But with a backpack full of food coming home with her from school every Friday, Olivia will get six nutritious meals that are made with a variety of high-quality food and are easily heated in the microwave. And by the time she gets back to school on Monday, Olivia will be feeling alert, strong, and ready to learn.
Could you sponsor a backpack? Your gift of just $35/month would provide a backpack for a child just like Olivia. Click here to donate today.