We need volunteers for Tues nights for our Baby U Program. Help the community in a unique way! Call Lisa at 332 0441 http://t.co/EDxzvy4Z
The Backpack Programs
Our School Backpack Program provides emergency food to hungry children in our community. The latest numbers show that approximately 70% of all children in Lee County Schools are now eligible for free or reduced lunch, an increase of 20% since the 2007/08 school year. In the hardest hit areas, as many as 98% of children attending school are on free or reduced lunch. Most of these children are going without any food from the time they leave school on Friday until they return on Monday, as well as during school holidays.
As a result, CCMI partners with several local schools in conjunction with community service and faith-based organizations to implement the school backpack program in order to get food directly into the hands of the children during weekends or holidays away from school. Volunteers are vital to the success of this effort. Community volunteers fill backpacks each week with nutritious and easy to prepare food and school teachers distribute the backpacks to children on Friday. Students eagerly return the empty backpacks on Monday to be refilled for the next week.
Experts agree that good nutrition during childhood is critical to a child's ability to learn. When children miss out on eating key food groups, they are deprived of essential nutrients needed for optimal cognitive functioning. Children participating in this program typically live in a world of uncertainty. We all care deeply about our children. Education provides all children the opportunity to succeed and the backpack program supports that goal by addressing one of roadblocks of positive educational outcomes, child hunger. The Backpack Program offers a safety net for these children, relieving some of the stress of wondering whether they will have food to eat over the weekend. We feed the brain so the brain is ready to learn come Monday morning. This program helps reduce child hunger and improves health and academic outcomes providing support for children and families in need.
Thank you southwest Florida for helping us serve over 2000 students in Lee County Schools with emergency food from the School Backpack Program!
“All the kids tell me they can think better now. What a difference it makes.” ~ Holly Bell, Principal Orange River Elementary
