Union County Friday Backpack Program
Oregon currently has the highest rate of childhood hunger in the
nation, with 29% of children in the state facing food insecurity.
Roughly 50% of the children in Union County are eligible for
free and reduced breakfast and lunch, living in food insecure households.
Food insecurity is defined as "a household that is uncertain of having or being able to
acquire enough food to meet the basic needs of all household members because of
insufficient money and other resources for food."
Failure to address hunger creates consequences beyond the family dinner table.
Research has clearly demonstrated a link between food insecurity and negative
health and academic outcomes.
- Hungry children: not acceptable
- Children worrying about where their next meal is coming from: unacceptable
- Undernourished/malnourished children: unacceptable
- It is up to us to help those who are not in control of their situation. Clearly these children are not.
- They do not CHOOSE to be hungry.
- Eliminating hunger is within our reach.
- It is a huge goal, an important goal, an attainable goal.
What it is:
The Friday Backpack Program is an emergency fix for a problem that has defied solution.
During the school year many children rely on resources such as free and reduced meals at
school for their primary source of food and nutrition. FBP addresses the needs of hungry children at
times when other food resources are not available such as weekends and school vacations. Their
nutritional needs do not end when school dismisses for the weekend. This supplemental food helps
sustain hungry children over the weekend so they return to school ready to learn.
Food insecurity has a marked impact on children’s health and academic progress. The Friday Backpack
Program hopes to address this.
Who we are:
The program consists of an Advisory Board and about 32 volunteers from the community. We have non-profit, 501(c)3 status.
What we do:
Currently we are serving children at all the elementary schools in Union County.
Through donations of food and money from the community, volunteers use this to prepare food
packs of nutritious, child friendly food in non-descript bags that are delivered to each school involved.
Personnel at each school discreetly distribute the bags to the identified children, those determined to be the
most in need by the school staff, before the weekend or holiday vacation. The names of the children are held
confidential. Friday Backpack members do not have that information.
We give presentations to civic groups, churches and businesses to inform the community of this
program. With their permission, Friday Backpack bins are left at different locations in town.
Along with the baskets are copies of the lists of food we use, following USDA recommendations; child-
friendly, single-serving, shelf stable, easily opened and prepared food donations. There is also
an address for those who choose to send a monetary donation, all of which goes directly for
purchasing food. There are no administrative costs.
How does it work?
FBP members inform each school how many children we will be able to serve. The staff at the school determines which children are the most chronically hungry, already eligible and receiving free/reduced breakfast and lunch.
- Permission letters provided by the Friday Backpack Program are sent home by school personnel.
Every Tuesday volunteers collect the food from the various donation sites and take it to our storage rooms for inventory and shelving. At this point, looking over what food is available, we make a “menu” of what will be included in the week’s supplemental food pack. Designated shoppers purchase what we are short of with the use of donated funds. A sample bag is made and weighed to insure it falls within the weight considered acceptable for children to carry. - Each week volunteers meet at the storage site to assemble the food packs in doubled plastic bags that are double tied.
- The bags are loaded into the vehicles of the volunteers who will be delivering to each school.
- Thursday afternoon or Friday morning, at an agreed upon time, a volunteer delivers the food packs to the school. The role of Friday Backpack Program volunteers ends at this stage.
- At some point during the day school personnel get the food packs into the backpacks of the identified children in the most inconspicuous manner.
This is truly a collaborative effort with a partnership between the Friday Backpack Program, participating schools, and the generosity of this community who share our vision of eliminating hunger among our children
