“I get to share!”
Those are the joyful words of Jayden, a 5th–grade student at Lamar Elementary School, where your gifts are helping kids like him have enough nutritious food over the weekends — and sometimes even enough to share with other kids in need.
Kaycie Taylor is At–Risk Coordinator at Lamar Elementary, where she says many students are without consistent and reliable access to healthy food at home. Lamar Elementary has an enrollment of around 400 children.
A majority of students there rely on free and reduced–price school meals but are at risk of going without healthy food on the weekends.
Kaycie says she gives out around 71 PowerPak 4 Kids backpacks each Friday during the school year. Each one is filled with kid–friendly, nutritious food like fruit, peanut butter and cereal to supplement weekend meals.
“The tummy is full, the brain is full,” Kaycie says of the valuable resource.
Students echo their appreciation for the weekend meals you help provide. Jayden says he especially likes the milk and apple juice.
“It makes them feel more valued,” Kaycie says of PowerPaks the kids take home each weekend.
When children know someone cares enough to give them food so they don’t go hungry, it builds their self-esteem and improves both their physical and emotional health.
On behalf of Jayden and the many other boys and girls who have the healthy food they need to thrive because of you, thank you!
