Combating Childhood Hunger with Backpacks!

Hunger. How long do you go between meals? Two or three hours? Maybe four to five? What if you lived in fear of going 1-2 days without having anything to eat? What if this happened to you every weekend?

Many children in the Homewood community in Pittsburgh face the issue of weekend hunger on a regular basis, meaning that many students do not know when their next meal will come from between school lunch on Friday and school breakfast on Monday. This lack of food translates into poor health outcomes, as well as decreased performance in school.

To combat this issue, a large part of my service year at Homewood Children’s Village is dedicated to organizing a weekend nutrition program called “Power Pack” that provides students enrolled in the program with a backpack full of nonperishable food items. Backpacks filled with various items including applesauce, pretzels, fruit cups, macaroni, spaghetti, oatmeal, and fresh fruit are distributed to students at school every Friday so that they can have food to eat throughout the weekend.

The Power Pack program currently serves 228 students each week at 2 elementary schools, two daycares, and one middle/high school within the Homewood community. Students are referred to the program by their teachers, guidance counselors, and other school staff who work closely with my site, Homewood Children’s Village. The program is crucial for many families struggling to pay for food. For instance, while enrolling one family with five children, the mom burst into tears because she was so thankful for my call and so surprised that somebody would be so willing to help out in this way.

Homewood Children’s Village Office of Child and Community Health also hosts a Power Pack Holiday Dinner each year. All students enrolled in the program and their families are invited to a catered dinner and each family leaves with an overflowing dinner basket provided to combat issues related to hunger during the extended Holiday. This year’s dinner was a huge success. It allowed families to relax and enjoy an amazing meal, makes crafts, and take Holiday family portraits. Additionally, families were provided with nutrition education and had the opportunity to talk to benefit counselors to sign up for programs such as SNAP and WIC. It was wonderful to sit down and talk to the families at the dinner, share stories, and hear how thankful they are for the Power Pack program.
As the New Year begins, I am excited to help start some new initiatives with the Power Pack program including adding even more fresh fruit, reaching out to each family to discuss other needs within the community, and providing additional nutrition and health education directed to both children and their parents!