‘Backpacks on the Go’ program at Merrillville school
‘Feeding children on weekends leads to academic sustainability’
On a rainy Thursday, a Food Bank of Northwest Indiana truck brought its first delivery to Miller Elementary in Merrillville buoyed by the outreach effort of a special education teacher Christine Zimmerman.
Thousands of children across Lake and Porter counties are staving off weekend hunger pains with the program called “Backpacks on the Go,” an assortment of food provided by the Food Bank with support from the Northwest Indiana Funders Collaborative.
“I wanted to see how a partnership could happen and why we aren’t doing more with the community,” Zimmerman said.
Zimmerman watched as carts of prepackaged plastic bags with food were wheeled into the school for distribution Friday. She said members of the school’s student council will help bag and hand out the food.
Miller Elementary is holding a community food drive for the Food Bank this month joining two other Merrillville schools, Wood and Iddings.
Zimmerman said the food backpacks helps bridge a gap for children who may not have healthy meals during weekends. She said students who are nourished have better academic success in the classroom.
Amy Briseno, donor relations coordinator for the Food Bank, agreed.
“Food insecurity is a stressor,” she said. Feeding children on weekends leads to academic sustainability, she said.
Merrillville and other Northwest Indiana districts are part of the program.
“We really appreciate having this valuable resource right here in the community we serve,” Merrillville Community School Corp. Superintendent Nick Brown said. “Our schools support and our families frequently benefit from the NWI Food Bank. It’s really a great partnership we have going here.”
Most backpacks include a variety of food to make a few healthy weekend meals. They often include cereal, oatmeal, granola bars, juice, fresh or canned fruit, snacks and easy to prepare meals like macaroni and cheese, canned soup and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
“‘Backpacks On The Go’ is a simple, but effective program to make sure that children eat and are nourished at times when they need it most,” said Victor A. Garcia, president and chief executive officer of the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana.
Like the whole nation, the local Food Bank is experiencing shortages so community help is needed.
“We are experiencing supply chain challenges and increased pricing on purchased product,” Garcia said.
“Fortunately, we only rely on purchasing product for approximately 10% of our inventory.
Now, more than ever, it is imperative that we increase the pounds of food that are donated by individuals, retailers, suppliers, manufacturers and farmers.”
Ann Heiligstedt, Food Bank charitable food coordinator, said its backpack program serves every school district in Lake and Porter counties.
The backpack program is run in conjunction with Feeding America, a nationwide effort that supports local food banks with food, funding and partnerships.
For more information, go to foodbanknwi.org.