While the goal of every elementary school is to fill developing minds with new knowledge about the world around them, these institutions serve another important role for local families — helping children stay fed.
With cafeterias now serving free breakfast to students, many parents find schools to be an invaluable resource to ensure their children receive at least two healthy and filling meals every weekday.
On weekends, though, parents who struggle to make ends meet often find it difficult to replace the meals their children enjoy at school.
A group of volunteers is helping ease that burden for several families with children attending school at Justus Gage Elementary.
On Friday, members of Dowagiac’s Saint Francis Outreach launched a new “backpack” program at the school, delivering bags of food for children to enjoy for breakfast, lunch and dinner over the weekend. Around 20 Justus Gage students received assistance through the new initiative, said Principal Bryan
Henry.
“We are pleased to begin this partnership to help our families receive meals and snacks for the weekend,” Henry said.
In line with backpack programs at other schools, both in Dowagiac and across the country, volunteers with Saint Francis Outreach will provide food based on strict nutritional guidelines.
On Friday, the members delivered sacks that contained cereal, oatmeal, soup, crackers, fresh fruit and more, said LuAnn Smith, one of the co-chairs of the Saint Francis backpack program.
“We will keep delivering food through the school year, and hopefully next year as well, if the need arises again,” Smith said.
Members of the charitable organization — comprised of parishioners from Dowagiac’s Holy Maternity of Mary and Silver Creek Township’s Sacred Heart of Mary — devised the idea of starting the backpack program at the school after Lisa Armijo, a counselor at Justus Gage, asked them for assistance with providing food for a handful of needy students. The two entities had collaborated earlier in the year when Saint Francis donated new clothing items to more than 140 students in a back-to-school clothing drive, Smith said.
“When the counselor came to us to tell us about these families in need, we knew this was something we wanted to help with,” she said.
The organization has set aside around $4,000 to pay for deliveries throughout the rest of the school year, with each sack of food costing around $5, Smith said. Children in Holy Maternity’s and Sacred Heart’s youth program are pitching in with the effort as well, sorting and bagging the food prior to delivery.
People interested in donating to or assisting with this or other Saint Francis Outreach projects are asked to call Holy Maternity of Mary church, at (269) 782-2808.