Backpack Buddies Program Kicks Off
Heather Liston
Issue date: 2/22/10 Section: News
"We're just so excited" says Professor Annette Mohan whenever someone asks her about the new Backpack Buddy program that the Family and Consumer Science Department is putting together. Coordinated by Mohan and Professor Donna Burnett in conjunction with the Student Dietetic Association and Kappa Omicron Nu, Backpack Buddy is a program that they hope will help feed hungry students in the Montevallo area on the weekends.
As part of the College of Education, the FCS department is required to serve the community. This is something that they would do without being required to and have become very involved with it. During the holidays they sent cookies to soldiers and raised over 200 coats for the Jimmy Hale mission. So, it is no surprise that the department has already become so involved with this new program.
Montevallo Middle School already has a similar program therefore Mohan and Burnett decided to take it to the elementary school. They talked to the guidance counselor Lorrie Martin and found out that Montevallo Elementary is a Title I school with close to 60 percent of students on free or reduced lunches. This means that during the week students are provided with meals, but those students are probably not able to eat on the weekends.
Starting February 1 though, the FCS department officially begins collecting items to help turn this around. They will be collecting Chef Boyardee-like meals in pop top cans, apple sauce, juice boxes, snack puddings, cheese crackers, peanut- butter crackers, individual packets of grits or oatmeal, and chewy granola bars. These items will be placed in individual bags and discretely put in the child's backpack on Fridays. They will provide the elementary school 35 bags a week to start with but hope to be able to do more.
"How can a child even focus if they are hungry?" asks Mohan. The inability to eat affects a child's life in a number of ways. They are more likely to get sick and be undernourished. A child's development is affected as well as their self-confidence. It has also been shown that students who receive assistance will be more likely to pass on the good deed to those who are less fortunate because they were once in that position. So, not only is the FCS department helping to give these kids the tools for success but they are also helping to build better citizens.
Helping out the FCS department in their endeavors is easy. Each bag should only cost about $2.50. All donations can be dropped off at the FCS office located in Bloch Hall. They are asking that nothing besides what is listed be donated because they don't want siblings to get different things in their bags as each sibling will get their own bag. FCS faculty have fully committed to this project meaning that they will pay out of pocket to fund this project if they start coming up short.
But this really shouldn't be a problem because the excitement for this project is infectious. "Who doesn't have a heart for kids to eat on the weekends?" asks Burnett. They are so excited about being able to give Montevallo students and faculty the opportunity to touch someone else's life.
As part of the College of Education, the FCS department is required to serve the community. This is something that they would do without being required to and have become very involved with it. During the holidays they sent cookies to soldiers and raised over 200 coats for the Jimmy Hale mission. So, it is no surprise that the department has already become so involved with this new program.
Montevallo Middle School already has a similar program therefore Mohan and Burnett decided to take it to the elementary school. They talked to the guidance counselor Lorrie Martin and found out that Montevallo Elementary is a Title I school with close to 60 percent of students on free or reduced lunches. This means that during the week students are provided with meals, but those students are probably not able to eat on the weekends.
Starting February 1 though, the FCS department officially begins collecting items to help turn this around. They will be collecting Chef Boyardee-like meals in pop top cans, apple sauce, juice boxes, snack puddings, cheese crackers, peanut- butter crackers, individual packets of grits or oatmeal, and chewy granola bars. These items will be placed in individual bags and discretely put in the child's backpack on Fridays. They will provide the elementary school 35 bags a week to start with but hope to be able to do more.
"How can a child even focus if they are hungry?" asks Mohan. The inability to eat affects a child's life in a number of ways. They are more likely to get sick and be undernourished. A child's development is affected as well as their self-confidence. It has also been shown that students who receive assistance will be more likely to pass on the good deed to those who are less fortunate because they were once in that position. So, not only is the FCS department helping to give these kids the tools for success but they are also helping to build better citizens.
Helping out the FCS department in their endeavors is easy. Each bag should only cost about $2.50. All donations can be dropped off at the FCS office located in Bloch Hall. They are asking that nothing besides what is listed be donated because they don't want siblings to get different things in their bags as each sibling will get their own bag. FCS faculty have fully committed to this project meaning that they will pay out of pocket to fund this project if they start coming up short.
But this really shouldn't be a problem because the excitement for this project is infectious. "Who doesn't have a heart for kids to eat on the weekends?" asks Burnett. They are so excited about being able to give Montevallo students and faculty the opportunity to touch someone else's life.
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Annette Mohan
posted 3/02/10 @ 10:35 AM CST
Just a quick update on the Backpack Buddy Program- we are up and running. The children received their first backpack buddy on Friday, February 19, 2010. (Continued…)
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