Backpack Bites is back in operation and greatly in need of shelf stable food items that are provided to local school children.
Backpack Bites, a collaboration between Poolesville Presbyterian, local churches, and WUMCO Help, with significant contributions by KPC Buddhist Relief provides supplemental food for the weekend to families on the Free and Reduced Meals (FaRM) program. The FaRM program at Montgomery County schools provides free or reduced cost breakfast and lunch to children from low-income families ensuring that those children have at least two meals on school days.
In January 2019, the Backpack Bites program was started at Poolesville Elementary School to provide supplemental food over the weekend to FaRM families with elementary age children. The program continued at both Poolesville and Monocacy Elementary Schools, until Covid caused a pause in the program. The program restarted in Fall of 2022.
The program provides a bag of food that contains enough food for (at least) one nutritious meal and snacks. The bag is sent home on Friday of each week in a child’s backpack. Currently, about twenty families are being served between the two schools.
Monthly, four of these backpacks are “stuffed” for each child by volunteers at Poolesville Presbyterian in Speer Hall. The backpacks are then delivered weekly by volunteers to the two schools (for distribution there to the children). Note: the only persons who know the names of the children receiving the backpacks are at the schools – neither WUMCO, Poolesville Presbyterian, the volunteers, or any of the organizations involved know anything other than the number of children per school.
Click here to view a video made by KPC Buddhist Relief about Backpack Bites. Be sure to unmute the video!!
Poolesville Presbyterian Church can use volunteers at Speer Hall on one Saturday a month from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Help to stuff the backpacks with weekend food for food insecure children so they can return to school on Monday, ready to learn. Check the PPC calendar for further information.
If you would like to help with contributions of shelf stable food, you can bring these items to any Poolesville Seniors event and deposit them in the marked bin at PPC Speer Hall 17800 Elgin Rd. (109):
Plain oatmeal packets, 1 lb boxes of pasta and spaghetti, 15 oz cans of vegetables, 12.5 oz large cans of chicken, 5 oz cans of tuna, Mac and cheese boxes, granola bars, cracker packs – cheese crackers or peanut butter crackers or fruit snacks, fruit cups or applesauce cups, peanut butter (small jars 16 oz), rice (one pound bags), dried beans (one pound bags).