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BACKPACK FOOD PROGRAM
A program dedicated to the fight against weekend hunger in our schools that is
making a difference in the lives of local children.
BACKPACK PROGRAM HISTORY:
On December 2, 2010, The Rotary Club of Fernley's Backpack Food Program made its
first delivery of 100 weekend food kits to Fernley Intermediate/Silverland
Intermediate and East Valley, Fernley, and Cottonwood Elementary schools.
Although the program has grown to serve 145 students, counselors
from the participating schools report there are more than 350 kids who could
benefit from this program.
BACKPACK PROGRAM OBJECTIVE:
The program's objective is to provide a weekend food supply to those kids whose
counselors have identified them as "food insecure" and who might otherwise not
have enough to eat over the weekend. Most of the students participating in the
program rely on free or reduced lunches at the school to meet their basic
nutritional needs during the school week. The Rotary Club of Fernley is
committed keeping these kids from going hungry on Saturdays and Sundays. Kids
cannot effectively learn if they are hungry.
BACKPACK PROGRAM LOCATION:
The Fernley Intermediate School Principal Rob Jacobson offered the program all
of the space it needed for food storage and assembly. With The Boys & Girls
Club of Fernley’s help packing the food kits from purchased and donated
supplies, the program has reduced the cost per student by about a dollar per
week.
BACKPACK KITS:
Each
Backpack Kit Contains: 2 Entrees; 2 juice boxes (100% juice); 2 packets of
instant oatmeal; 2 servings of fruit; a cracker snack; and a whole-grain snack
bar. The kits are distributed by the schools’ counselors, who distribute the
kits. The identities of the participating students are kept confidential .
BACKPACK PROGRAM COST:
The cost to
keep a child from going hungry over the weekend is only $150.00 for the entire
school year. If you would like to sponsor a “backpack kid” or make a
tax-deductible donation of any amount, please make your check payable to:
The Fernley Rotary Foundation, P.O. Box 408, Fernley, NV 89408
(please write “Backpack” on the memo line). The Rotary Club of Fernley Backpack
Food Program is funded through the Fernley Rotary Foundation, a 501(C)3
non-profit, charitable organization that serves the Fernley community.
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