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31 Backpacks is in need of volunteers to help make sure kids don’t go hungry over the long holiday break.
For many children, the meals they get at school are the only times they are properly fed and that means kids often go hungry over the weekend.
31 Backpacks strives to send food home with those students so they don’t have to.
An extended break, like the one coming up for Christmas, proves to be a challenge to provide enough food to see the kids through.
Vice President of 31 Backpacks Melissa Maki said, “This year, we are providing 12-15 days worth of food, depending on the school district, to help these kids make it through their holiday season and I think we’re averaging around 190 students right now.”
Maki says volunteers are needed for this weekend’s Big Pack.
“The biggest help that we would need is Friday at 2pm at Glad Tidings Assembly of God in Hancock,” said Maki. “We have our truck delivering our food from the food bank and we need a little bit of manpower unloading that. Saturday at 1:00pm, we will be back at Glad Tidings again, setting up for the Big Pack. This is where we unwrap everything and label everything and make it a real smooth operation for the actual pack the following night. Sunday night, Dec. 17th, we’re asking people to be there at 5:45pm so we can go through some instructions and start the pack at 6:00pm. This usually takes about an hour because we do so much setup the day before. And then Monday, Dec. 18th, at 8:30am is when we will be back at Glad Tidings again, loading the buses which will take the bags of food back to the school so the students can take them home.”
Maki says although their organization benefits children, she reminds people that the Big Pack is not a kid-friendly atmosphere.
If you would like to volunteer, call 31 Backpacks at 231-0694.
Here’s the schedule:
Thursday, December 1,4 9:00 am – set up tables at Glad Tidings Assembly of God (GTAOG)
Friday, December 15, 2:00 pm – delivery of food and unpacking the truck at GTAOG
Saturday, December 16, 1:00 pm – set up at GTAOG
Sunday, December 17, 5:45 pm – the actual pack at GTAOG
Monday, December 18, 8:30 am – load the buses
