Idaho Foodbank kicks off back-to-school campaign

POCATELLO — The Idaho Foodbank has kicked off its annual back-to-school fundraising campaign, which assists disadvantaged children who are experiencing hunger.

The campaign highlights the Idaho Foodbank's backpack program, which provides nutritious child-friendly food every Friday during the school year and ensures the children have access to an adequate amount of quality nourishment.

"The Backpack Program is a collaboration with public schools to provide bags full of food that fit in a child’s backpack so that kids who are hungry have food during the weekend when school meals are not available.," according to the Idaho Foodbank website. "The program delivers discreet, lightweight bags that contain two breakfasts, two lunches, two dinners, and two snacks – enough food to nourish the kids over the weekend."

The meals are easy to prepare and help meet the child's needs through Saturday and Sunday. Through contributions by Idaho Central Credit Union, the foodbank was able to provide over 64,000 bags of food to students across 165 schools.

Through the Idaho Foodbank's statewide school pantry program, it provides families with nutritious and non-perishable food through a pantry set up inside the school where it is accessible to students and their families. Last year alone, the school pantry program distributed 380,000 pounds of food to almost 19,000 households.

“Our backpack and school pantry programs support some of our most vulnerable Idahoans,” said Randy Ford, President and CEO of The Idaho Foodbank. “With the help of these programs, we can relieve some of the pressure on the families and provide a better chance for these young students.”

About 14.5 percent of Idaho children, which equates to more than 67,000 kids, struggle with food insecurity according to a report from Feeding America.

“The effects of insufficient nutrition extend well beyond hunger pains. Children experiencing food insecurity are at higher risk of falling behind in school, exhibiting lower test scores, behavior issues and are susceptible to conditions including asthma, development delays, iron deficiency anemia, and mental health problems,” an Idaho Foodbank press release said.

For anyone looking to assist these young upstarts, they can donate $300 to become a backpack buddy and support a child with a backpack every week during the school year.

To learn more about Back-to-School campaign and to support the programs, you can visit idahofoodbank.org/our-impact/children/

If you or someone you know needs food assistance, you can visit The Idaho Foodbank’s Food Assistance Locator at idahofoodbank.org/getfood