For Children Who Rely on School Meals, Weekends Can Be Scary

The Food Bank’s backpack program helps. In her own words, a mother who both volunteers with the BackPack Program and whose child participates in the program, explains what a difference it makes in her family and in her community.

My Name is Cynthia

My name is Cynthia and I am 32 years old. I have been volunteering every Friday with the Food Bank’s BackPack Program during the school year at my daughter’s school for five years, ever since I first learned about the program when my daughter started kindergarten. She is enrolled in the BackPack Program and it helps a lot at home. It helps us survive the weekend. 

Sometimes I don’t have enough money to buy healthy food like apples, but this program always includes fresh produce and so I can use the money I save to buy things like eggs and milk. I think the need is great in the community and with the kids in this school. The majority are from low-income homes, and their parents don’t make a lot of money. They are like me and they have to decide whether to buy milk or oranges. This program provides healthy things and it’s a really great help.

The Kids are Excited to Receive Their Bags

I love helping with the BackPack program. It is good for the people who receive the bags because It helps them provide food for the weekend when school meals are not available. I see the kids when they come pick up the bag and they are so happy looking through the bag to see what they are receiving. The kids say, “Miss, does it have fruit? Does it have oranges?” It is really nice that the kids are so excited looking in their bags. Even the parents look for the bread, because it’s the thing that I feel they need. 

Thank You

It makes me really emotional and happy to be able to help, even if it’s a little bit of my time.

I know this program is needed because the families miss it when we are on summer vacation. Maybe some people think we don’t do enough for ourselves to provide enough food for ourselves. But we do a lot. I think anyone who had to try and live on the money some of us make would struggle. 

I only want to say thanks for the program and thank you to the people that make it possible for this bread and milk to make it to our homes because it is really important.

Help Us Serve Even More Hungry Children

The BackPack Program makes a big difference for those who are able to participate, but there are so many more children in our community who don’t know if they have anything to eat over the weekend. $23 might not seem like a lot to you, but $23 per month is enough to feed a child for a whole year. Please consider making a recurring gift today of $23 or more. Together, we feed LA.