Rotary asked to donate some food to the School Backpack Program

Posted by Richard Murphy 
on Apr 07, 2011
 

Many children (K-12) are coming back to school after long weekends or vacations very hungry. The school nutrition backpack program sends home food, but supplies are depleted.

 Rotary has been asked to help. Please bring food items requested below to the meeting on Tuesday April 12th or drop off at volunteer Kelly Murphy's house at 12 Eagles Nest Drive.

 Tuesday's meeting is a service work project. We will help give the library a spring cleaning, so wear work clothes.  Please rsvp to Candy for the sandwich order.

 
Judy Campbell, the Nutrition Director of the Scarborough Schools, noticed that many children (K-12) are coming back to school after long weekends or vacations very hungry.  Without the school breakfast and lunch program, these children have very little (if anything) to eat at home.  The schools have identified at least 50 children without adequate food supplies at home.  That number is growing all the time.  Backpacks full of food are sent home with these students before long weekends and vacations.  The food available for this program relies very heavily on donations.  Generally, food stocks are plentiful in the beginning of the school year.  However, by the time April vacation rolls around, the supply has been exhausted.  

I'm asking you, my generous, wonderful friends, for your help to organize a mini food drive!  I am happy to be the point person/drop-off spot for all donations.  Unless it's raining (or God forbid snowing!), food can be left on my porch at your convenience (12 Eagles Nest Drive).  I can also come to you.  Really, I don't mind!  Send me a message and we can work out the transfer.  

Please share this message with anyone who may be willing to help (neighborhood associations, teams, co-workers, etc.).  Ideally, all donations would be collected by April 12th so the food can be sorted and packed prior to the start of April Vacation.  

Great items include pastas, sauce, peanut butter, jelly, tuna fish, canned vegetables and fruit, applesauce, soups, macaroni and cheese, canned pasta (ravioli, SpaghettiOs, etc.), crackers, nuts, breakfast cereals, granola bars, etc.  Basically anything nutritious, non-perishable and please, nothing in glass containers.

For more information about the Backpack Program (scroll down to the bottom of the page):

Thank you so much for your help.  This program really makes a big difference in the lives of local children.

Hope to hear from you soon, 
Kelly