Southeast Missouri Food Bank to launch 'Backpacks for Friday' in Sikeston

MOREHOUSE, Mo. -- Some Sikeston elementary students will have a new BFF beginning Friday and lasting throughout the school year.

Southeast Missouri Food Bank's new child feeding program, "BFF," which stands for "Backpacks for Friday," is a program that will provide children in need with a backpack filled with about 10 pounds of nutritious food each Friday.

Thirty families of Morehouse Elementary students in grades kindergarten to fourth will be the first recipients of the program in the Sikeston School District. The food bank's first BFF program started in September at Jefferson Elementary in Cape Girardeau.

"This is a a child feeding program that works as a community partnership between the Food Bank, schools and organizations and businesses," said Karen Green, executive director of Southeast Missouri Food Bank.

Food items consist of four menus rotating weekly and will include items such as peanut butter, crackers, soup, pasta, canned fruit, shelf stable milk and cereal. Volunteers hope to add fresh produce and hygiene products in the future.

The goal is to eventually expand the program to all 16 counties the Food Bank serves, Green said.

So far the Altrusa Club of Sikeston, Montgomery Bank and Wal-Mart are among the businesses and organizations to volunteer service and funding for the program. Unilever provided the initial grant of $10,000 to get the program started, Green said.

Montgomery Bank recently donated $24,000 to be used over a three-year period in support of the program. Altrusa Club members are also organizing the

"The Backpacks for Fridays program addresses a very critical need for the children and their families in our local communities," stated Jeff Sutton, community bank president for Montgomery Bank. "Montgomery Bank is committed to giving back to the communities it serves, and the decision to support this program was an easy one.

"In addition to our financial commitment, we have also pledged volunteer assistance for the weekly preparation of the backpacks and to aid in their distribution. We feel that is what being a good corporate citizen is all about, and we encourage other businesses and individual to lend their support as well."

The Backpack Program became a pilot program in 1995. The National Council of Feeding America approved the BackPack Program as an official national program of the Network in July 2006.

There are 118 Feeding America members operating more than 2,200 BackPack Programs serving more than 90,000 children each year.

"We are so excited to see the program finally be launched here," said Diane Eberhard, an Altrusa Club member and Montgomery Bank employee.

Eberhard and other Altrusa members recently attended a conference in Oklahoma where the guest speaker who was from Oklahoma Food Bank talked about the Backpack Program.

"I loved the idea and got in touch with the Food Bank here," said Eberhard.

Volunteer groups will be designated months and they're responsible for filling the backpacks and delivering them to the schools, Eberhard explained. Volunteers will basically divide into two groups, she said. One will bag a month's worth of food, and another will pick up the food and deliver the backpacks to the school.

"Without everybody pulling together, we wouldn't be able to do it," Eberhard said.

Wal-Mart also donated packing materials such as backpacks and plastic bags to store the food.

Regina Sence, Wal-Mart market manager, said she was happy to be a part of the program.

"It makes me feel wonderful. It gives you a good feeling all over," Sence said.

Becky Ault of Sikeston was looking for way to volunteer for the Food Bank when she learned about the program. She's not associated with any of the already participating groups and businesses but just wanted to help.

"I have a 6-year-old and 2-year-old," Ault said. "There's no reason for children to go hungry."

One in five children lives on the brink of hunger in Missouri, according to a new report issued by Feeding America. Missouri ranked No. 8 on the top 10 list of states with the highest rate of food insecurity among children. More than 280,000 are food-insecure -- unable to consistently access adequate amounts of nutritious food that is necessary for a healthy life.

"We are so appreciative of the organizations that have stepped up to be able to provide food to 30 of our families," said Kathy Lake, parent liaison and site coordinator at Morehouse Elementary. "We're also grateful to the school district, too. This is a help to the families."

For more information or to volunteer or help provide funding for the "BackPacks for Friday" program, visit SEMO Food Bank's Web site www.semofoodbank.org or call 573-651-0400. Parents of Morehouse Elementary students who have inquiries about the program should contact Lake at the school.