Feeding the hungry

Another way to help hungry families has been initiated in Cape Girardeau. Eventually the same program hopes to assist families throughout the 16-county area served by the Southeast Missouri Food Bank.

The new program is called Backpacks for Friday. It was started through a cooperative effort of the food bank and the GRACES Women's Council with a grant from the United Way of Southeast Missouri.

As a start, the program provides backpacks containing nonperishable food for 36 families. The idea is that students who receive free or reduced-cost meals at school during the week often don't have enough food for weekend meals. The backpack food items are intended to feed the entire family over the weekend.

There is a tremendous need for the program, organizers say. Just at Jefferson Elementary School there are 80 families that qualify but funding for only 36 in this startup effort. The program is slated to begin soon in the Sikeston School District.

If you would like to help the Backpacks for Friday program, contact the United Way at 334-9634 or the food bank at 651-0400.

Hats off to the food bank, United Way and GRACES Women's Council for finding a way to fill this gap.