Children are our future.  They, like everyone else, need access to health care, education and nutrition essential for appropriate growth and development.  Unfortunately, not all children have these benefits. Many children go to school every day hungry and return home to face the same circumstances.

In the United States, nearly 13 million children face hunger every day.  According to “Map the Meal Gap Study” released by Feeding America in 2018, there are over 6,000 children in Logan County under 18 years of age.  Of these children, 17.6% face food insecurity and often do not know where their next meal will come from, if at all.  

The Logan County Cooperative Extension Service, utilizing volunteers from the Logan County Extension Council and other Extension program councils in partnership with Family Resource Youth Service Centers from the Logan County and Russellville Independent School districts and several community agencies, began a Backpack Booster Project to run during the 2019-2020 school year.   Each month a different food item is collected at several donation sites throughout the county. Donated items were gathered at the Extension Office and distributed to all of our county and city schools.  These donations help supplement the food backpacks that the family resource programs are already sending home with students in need.  The total number of student backpacks distributed each week for all Logan County and Russellville Independent Schools is 310.

During the 2019-2020 school year the following items were collected and donated:

296 breakfast bars

788 pop tarts

328 fruit cups

757 applesauce cups

1070 pudding cups

92 microwaveable macaroni and cheese cups

181 cans of soup or pasta

162 rice krispie treats

352 snack cakes

262 cookie packs

120 granola bars

176 juice boxes

504 fruit snack pouches

145 individual chip bags

75 cracker packs

366 applesauce/fruit cups

233 cookie/cracker snack packs

Total – 5,907 items collected

Our ultimate goal is that we might play even a small role in preventing our children from being hungry.  Our hope is that with the help of our Extension groups, local businesses, and community members we can make a difference in the lives of our families in Logan County.