Take-home food program expands to Orchard Elementary in Jackson

Within the last few weeks Jackson businesswoman Janey Foust has been able to secure enough money to expand the BackPacks for Friday program to Orchard Elementary.

The program, sponsored by the Southeast Missouri Food Bank, helps a school's neediest families by providing backpacks on Friday filled with enough nutritious meals to last a family of four throughout a weekend. Backpacks are sent home every Friday of the school year, except over Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks.

The food bank estimates it will cost $9,800 to operate the program for the school year at Orchard, but the almost $8,000 Foust has raised is enough to get the program started. Foust said right now the school and the food bank are working out the logistics, but the program will start in October. While 41 percent of Orchard students qualify for free or reduced lunches, the school identified 35 students as being at risk for not having their nutritional needs met over the weekend.

Foust said she is excited to get the program up and running in Jackson and that the community continues to support the efforts through various food drives.

Immaculate Conception School sponsored a canned vegetable drive Friday for Foust. School principal Michelle Huffman said every student who brought in two canned items was allowed to wear casual clothes instead of the school uniform. Students brought in about 450 cans of food.

Huffman said helping those in need is a good lesson for her students to learn.

"They get a sense of service to the local community. They see there are needs within the community that they can help meet," she said.

HealthPoint Fitness continues to sponsor a food drive throughout September. Manager Scott Givens said staff members are collecting pancake mix, syrup, peanut butter and jelly in plastic containers, and SpaghettiOs. As an incentive for members to bring in items, Givens said that for every item they bring in, donors will be given a ticket that will be placed in a drawing for restaurant gift certificates and other prizes. Nonmembers bringing in items will also be entered in the drawing and will also have their enrollment fee to the fitness center waived.

Foust said there will be other food drives throughout the month but that they are still in the planning stages.

cbartholomew@semissourian.com

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