Harvesters fighting childhood hunger: One backpack at a time

Each week 650 children in 22 schools throughout 11 districts are served through Harvesters’ BackSnack program.

The purpose of BackSnack is simple – by providing a bag full of snacks and quick-fix meals, Harvesters helps take a child’s focus off hunger and place it back on their school work.

For most students the weekend is a time free of teachers and homework, but for many it is also a time when their stomachs growl and their parents worry about where their next meal is going to come from. The stress of not knowing if there will be food on the table affects not just the parents, but their children as well. Harvesters refers to it as “weekend hunger.” A problem that seems to

effect not just their nutrition but their behavior, attendance, and overall ability to concentrate on their school work as well.

It is estimated that more than 88,000 children within Harvesters’ 13-county service area receive free or reduced-price school meals. Each week schools work to ensure that their students are receiving a nutritious and well-balanced breakfast and lunch. “While these children get nutritious meals while school is in session, they often do without on the weekends,” says Karen Haren, President and CEO of Harvesters.

This year, Laurel Hills Elementary is joining together with Harvesters to provide backpacks full of weekend snacks and meals to 30 specially selected students. Together with First Baptist Raytown, the school’s community partner, the school is able to provide bags filled with everything from shelf-stable milk and cereal to fruit cups and soup. Beth Dusin, Laurel Hills counselor and BackSnack coordinator, strives to avoid any stigma that the students might feel by explaining that BackSnack is “special” and that students have to be “nominated by teachers” for the program.

BackSnack is not unique to Harvesters, Second Harvest, a national organization that works to fight hunger, has a similar program providing backpacks filled with food to children in 39 states distributing 35,000 backpacks a week.

Harvesters piloted the BackSnack program in 2004. Last year, Harvesters was able to provide 14,675 backpacks full of food through BackSnack. This year that number will most certainly grow as they have added an additional four schools in two more districts. “We base BackSnack on location and logistics,” said Mandy Stark Communications Coordinator for Harvesters. Harvesters look closely at each district, school, and student to determine where the BackSnack program would serve the greatest need.

Laurel Hills is the first school within the Raytown District to be included in the BackSnack program. “We are pleased to be able to have partnerships like the one with Harvesters which benefit our students,” said Cathy Allie Community Relations Coordinator for the district.

Quick Facts on Childhood Hunger

• Nationally, 1 in 6 American children live in homes at risk of hunger. (Share our Strength, 2007)

• According to the USDA, an estimated 12.4 million children lived in food insecure (low food security and very low food security) households in 2005.

• Research indicates that even mild undernutrition experienced by young children during critical periods of growth impacts the

behavior of children, their school performance, and their overall

cognitive development. (Tufts University School of Nutrition Science and Policy, 1998)