Our Backpack crew at work!
Backpacks for Children:
Providing weekend meals and snacks for Port Townsend school district students living with food insecurity.
Providing weekend meals and snacks for Port Townsend school district students living with food insecurity.
Donate to Backpacks for Children
Thank you to our late Kiwanis member and sponsor Ed Zinser's family, to Give Jefferson/UGN, and to other local donors for supporting this program!
Studies have shown that students who are hungry at school perform at lower levels than students without food insecurity.
Through providing these weekend food packages to students with food insecurity, students not only get the two meals a day provided by the schools' free and reduced lunch program, but they also have meals available to them on the weekend, when they are not at school. By providing this sustenance to students, they are able to better focus in school, leading to more engagement in learning, greater self-confidence, higher grades, and a greater likelihood of high school graduation and post-secondary success.
We strive to meet this goal by providing two meals to over 160 students per week in Port Townsend School District throughout the school year, totaling approximately 4800 total weekend meals for students. We regularly received feedback from the schools that the meals were appreciated by the families and that students were able to focus better in school due to not being hungry upon arrival on Mondays.
We thank you in advance for supporting this vital program for local students.
YMCA of Jefferson County provides food for children and youth during school breaks.
Children living with food insecurity need food all year long. While we at Port Townsend Kiwanis provide weekend meals and snack for students who need them during the school year, we are glad that partner organizations like the Y are able to step up and fill the gap while school is not in session.
