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VERY SIMPLY ... PEOPLE GOTTA EAT! The program is focused on nutritional needs of the most needy families in our community. Food-filled backpacks are sent home each week of the school year to supplement food for the weekend. Now serving 100 families with the goal to grow by 25 for 2020.
THE NEED TO FEED... The Beatrice Backpack program sends home 100 backpacks with elementary aged children from their schools each Friday of the school year. All of these children are on the free lunch program. During the week, they get free breakfast and free lunch at school, but then when they head home for the weekend their shelves may be bare. There is a direct correlation between learning ability and hunger. Try to imagine doing your job each day if you have hunger as a distraction. All funds raised stay in the community and are used to purchase food for the backpacks and vouchers for perishable items. All other items are donated or volunteer based. The food is purchased with the purchasing power of the Lincoln Food Bank and delivered to the school in bulk. Volunteers pack and distribute the food. The program currently costs around $40,000 each year. With your donation, we hope to increase our count of backpacks by 25 to 125 families served.
Read more about the program in these recent articles:
https://beatricedailysun.com/news/local/empty-bowls-raises-over-for-the-backpack-program/article_38dfe2eb-5f75-546b-b52a-a70836c17cfd.html
https://beatricedailysun.com/news/local/an-unforgettable-luncheon-donors-help-to-fill-empty-bowls/article_6a1632a0-3f17-533f-bcf1-4fe9818dd703.html
https://beatricedailysun.com/news/local/empty-bowls-luncheon-returns-for-th-year/article_3bf76500-722a-5770-80f4-b3b0a905a670.html