Backpacks for kids

"Feeding children one weekend at a time"

36% of children in South Kitsap rely on school cafeterias for their most nutritious meal
of the day. In some cases, this may be the only meal a child receives for the day. And in
some kids lives, they have little to no food over the weekend. BFK wants to change this
sad satistic and feed kids.

Each Friday afternoon during the school year, kids discreetly and confidentially
are provided a food filled backpack to ensure they have something to eat during
the weekend. Backpack food programs have shown to increase attendance,
decrease behavior problems, improve concentration abilities of students and
improve student academic achievement.

Some basic facts about the program:

Currently as many as 280 packs are delivered every Friday
It costs about $5.00 to fill each bag
We are always in need of food and monetary donations

How to help
There are many ways that you can help us:

Donate food items
Donate money to purchase food items
Volunteer to help organize donations
Become a grant writer to support BFK

The foods must be kid-friendly, shelf-stable, easy-to-prepare and nutritionally sound.
It is important for us to choose the foods wisely that make up the baclpacks each week.
This is a list of foods we currently are accepting are:

Canned tuna or chicken
Boxed Tuna or Chicken Helper or Homestyle Bake
Macaroni & Cheese
5.5 oz (one serving) pancake mixes
Instant meals (preferably Ramen)
Pudding cups
Granola or protein bars
Fruit snacks
Peanut butter or cheese cracker sandwiches
Small boxes of raisins
Small boxes of juice
Applesauce cups

Drop off point in Port Orchard: First Christian Church, 4885 SW Hovde Rd

Drop off during regualr business hours please. All money donated is tax deductable.
Checks need to be made out to First Christian Church, with "Backpacks For Kids"
on the memo line.

This is purely an all volunteer effort. There are no over-head cost so all
donations go entirely to the children and the purchase of food.

"Backpacks For Kids" is sponsored by the Port Orchard Rotary Club,
Cruise-N-Car Wash, First Luthern Church and Grace for Kids
and by many private donations.

Thanks to everyone's participation, children are being fed in Port Orchard.

For more information contact Loretta Whitcomb 360-876-8172

Website: www.backpacksfeedkids.com