A young man sat in the back of the bus heading home on Friday evening. He opened a bag of food and began to eat everything in it that he could. The bus driver alertly noticed and questioned the young man about his actions. The answer was that the bag was food from the backpack program and he wanted to eat before someone took it away from him. It is because of youth like this from struggling homes that teachers and family resource center directors are out during the summer vacation visiting special students quietly delivering bags of food.

Kentucky ranks 14th highest in the nation for the number of food insecure children under the age of 18, according to statistics from the USDA. That means approximately 200,000 Kentucky children do not have access at times to enough food for an active, healthy life or that the food in their homes are not nutritionally adequate for growing bodies. 

To address this need, the Leslie County Cooperative Extension Service has partnered with Leslie County Schools, LKLP Headstart, Leslie County Food Pantry, local churches, and volunteer fire departments to develop the Feed The Children Backpack Program. The coalition’s mission is to provide children in insecure households with a variety of nutritious, easy-to-prepare, non-perishable food items. During the school year with each of our five Family Resource Directors to identify students in need, in grades pre-K through 12. At the end of the 2017-2018 school year we were serving approximately 400 bags per week across the county. 
Realizing that the need does not stop during the long summer break, packs continue to be delivered, the project continues. A partnership is made with local churches to help distribute food through bible schools and special mission projects. Likewise, food is available in the schools that offer summer programming. 
Thanks to these volunteers, children that may not have received nutritious meals and snacks on the weekend and through the summer now have that opportunity, individuals are serving their community in meaningful leadership roles, and new partnerships among non-profit organizations have developed.