Semester Goal: 500 backpacks. Currently: 56
Food for Kids "Backpack" Program
What is the "Backpack" program
During the school year, our friends who are at-risk for not getting a proper meals at home, receive a backpack of food every Friday. So our friends are not embarrassed, the weekend of food is disguised in a backpack. Our local Second Harvest food bank in East Tennessee officially calls this program "Food for Kids". We call it the "Backpack" Program.
To help extinguish hunger in all communities, we want to be the light to raise awareness of child hunger. Thus, our program of Buy a Candle, Feed a Life.
In our community alone, there are over 12,500 kids that receives backpacks, weekly. But the problem persists in all communities, not just East Tennessee. Therefore, we donate to YOUR community. For every two candles purchased, we donate the cost of a backpack of food (Approx $4 per community) to your local Feeding America partner agency.
Help us extinguish child hunger, buy a candle and light the future!
Testimonials
"My company bought private labeled candles from Candles 4 Kids as Christmas presents to our clients. Everyone loved the candles and scents, but most importantly, the story behind the company and charitable nature of the gifts."
Billy Rivet, ABC Embroidery
How Second Harvest of East Tennessee describes the program!
Food for Kids is a collaborative effort between Second Harvest (or your local Feeding America agency and an ever-increasing number of public schools within the food bank’s service area. The program is designed to provide healthy, easily-prepared food to some of the most vulnerable children in our community – children who may be missing meals on a regular basis. Teachers at each school compile a list of kids in their classroom who they feel are at risk of hunger. In addition to simply telling their teachers they are going hungry, many kids are observed hoarding food from the lunchroom, taking food from other children’s trays, and even taking food trashcans in order to have something to eat after school and over the weekends. These children are discreetly given food for themselves (and any siblings they may have at home) every Friday throughout the school year - originally provided in backpacks or shoulder sacks. Reports of improved self-esteem, behavior and concentration among Food for Kids participants are common.
Food for Kids by the Numbers for the East TN region:
- 18—the current number of counties in which the program operates
- 280—the current number of participating schools
- 12,500+—the current number of children benefitting from the program
- 50+—number of schools that are not yet on board within our 18-county service area
- 1,100,000+—the number of meals provided by Food for Kids this year
- $100—average cost per child to provide healthy food each week for a full school year
- 25+—the number of FULL truckloads of deeply discounted food distributed each year
- $0—the cost to the schools/children receiving Food for Kids food