MASON CITY, IOWA – With the holiday season upon us, United Way of North Central Iowa is inviting community members to help stop childhood hunger. There are hungry children in our community and you can help by supporting United Way and Backpack Buddies.
United Way launched Backpack Buddies in October. The program provides meals to food insecure elementary school children in United Way’s nine county region. Children receive sacks of food to take home as meals to get them through the weekend.
From now until Thanksgiving, United Way will be accepting food donations for Backpack Buddies. Specific nutritional and kid-friendly food can be dropped off at United Way’s office (600 1st St. NW, Suite 102 –Mason City).
Accepted items for Backpack Buddies includes: individual boxes of cereal, 100% apple or grape juice boxes, individual Kraft Mac & Cheese, individual Chef Boyardee meals, fruit cups, fruit snacks, granola bars, pudding cups, and individual size peanut butter servings. All items are listed at http://www.unitedwaynci.org.
Earlier this year, United Way held a Hunger Forum at the Community Kitchen in Mason City. The focus was about the 19.5% of North Iowans that are food insecure. Area school teachers, local food banks, and community members discussed the need for a backpack food program to feed children.
Andrea Mujica, United Way’s program coordinator, researched the existing Feeding America and Food Bank of Iowa’s backpack program. The program focuses on feeding elementary school students with a weekend backpack of kid friendly food.
Mujica also researched the specific free or reduced meal program numbers in our area. Individual meetings were held with north central Iowa school superintendents. The following information was collected:
Percent of Students on the Free or Reduced Meal Program
All local schools in United Way’s region were ranked in order of the most need. For the first year of the Backpack Buddies program, 952 elementary students will be served at the following schools:
Harding Elementary, Mason City
Hoover Elementary, Mason City
LuVerne Elementary, LuVerne
North Kossuth, Swea City
Northside Elementary, Hampton
Roosevelt Elementary, Mason City
Sentral Elementary, Fenton
Southside Elementary, Hampton
Titonka Elementary, Titonka
“Hunger does not take a holiday. It is 365 days a year,” says Mujica. “We know that childhood hunger won’t end with this backpack program, but we know it’s a great start.”
Community members are invited to invest in Backpack Buddies. By working with the Food Bank of Iowa, an elementary student can receive food on the weekends during the entire school year for only $155. Your investment can go to the elementary school of your choice in United Way’s nine county region.
United Way is also seeking volunteers to help pack the sacks of food. Community members are encouraged to volunteer individually, join a group or form a team of your own to help pack the sacks that will feed students. To make a donation or volunteer, please call 641-423-1774 or email programs@unitedwaynci.org.
Mason City HyVee East helped order the necessary food items for October and November. The Cerro Gordo County Medical Alliance and Farm Credit Services of America packed the sacks of food for those two months. Since Backpack Buddies started distributing food in October, 278 elementary students have been fed.
United Way of North Central Iowa is helping people, changing lives and building community by focusing on the building blocks of a better life: education, income and health. For more information about United Way of North Central Iowa, please contact us at 641-423-1774 or visit our website at http://www.unitedwaynci.org.
The students at Nortwood, Manly & Lake Mills schools parents’ probably are hourly employees at the casino, so that is understandable.
And the Mason City and Hampton parents are probably all roody-poos. What’s your point?
Maybe the parents of these children can be more responsible with the USDA Food Assistance Program benefits they already receive.
Wow! I cannot believe some of those percentages. Either it is too easy to get on these programs or we really need some better jobs around here.
When the United Way and other so called charity’s start giving the majority of what they collect to the people that need it instead of to the rich CEO’s and othe management I will start donating to them again. The only charity that I am aware of that gives over 90% of the donations to the needy is the Salvation Army. Most of the rest are just scams in my opinion.
Hawkeye Harvest Food Bank gives 100% of money and food donated to feed the hungry. There is no, I repeat, no paid staff. they do pay rent on the space they have at Mohawk Square, but no paid staff. Everyone that helps out there volunteers there time and expetise.
@Happy Guy-I was not aware of that. Thank you for the information. With all the misinformation out there it is hard to know. I did see a published list not to long ago but it was a National list. I have know about the United Way for years. I first heard about it way back in the 70’s. It used to be said that the Red Cross was good but I don’t know any more.