Food for 80 Children to Start '09-'10 School Year
When they leave school Friday afternoon, 80 Brookings schoolchildren will carry with them a weekend's worth of nutritious snacks and lunches, thanks to BBP efforts.
"We know children at risk of hunger are getting nutritious lunches and snacks at school during the week through the National School Lunch Program," said spokeswoman Susan Rosen. "Our goal is to assure that their nutritional needs are met on weekends and holidays."
Meals are being provided to children throughout the Brookings School District as well as Brookings Head Start, said volunteer coordinator Amy Ballou (shown above, taking stock of food supplies). The first meal packages were assembled Wednesday night and will be delivered to schools Thursday and Friday, she said.
BBP is seeking local donations and volunteer support to expand its services with a goal of providing meal packages each weekend to 277 students by the end of this academic year. Once resources are in place, organizers will seek to identify additional families in need.
"The needs in our community are great, and our goal is to be able to assist every family in need," she said. "Already, more children are registered for the program than we can serve, given our current resources. We estimate that as many as 650 Brookings students may need what we provide. Te serve them, we obviously need to raise more funds."
Each of the weekend packages assembled this week included staples like fresh fruit, peanut butter, canned goods, oatmeal, pudding, crackers, and a treat. The organization estimates that assisting one child costs approximately $6 a week. Efforts are ongoing to reduce food costs while maintaining nutritional value, Ballou said.
"We're not only providing meals, which is important in itself, but we're trying to promote students' physical, cognitive and social development," Rosen said. "Brookings is a wonderful place, but we want everyone to be aware that there are children in need of this kind of boost, and we want parents struggling to put food on the table to know we are here to assist them."
Members of the BBP team will be available to answer questions at this weekend's Harvest Festival in downtown Brookings.
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