North Marion Backpack Buddies: COVID 19 Update! (April 28, 2020)
With the closing of all North Marion Schools March 13, 2020 due to the COVID 19 outbreak, our mission to help at risk kids has had to adapt as the need to get nutritious food to these families has become all the more urgent! North Marion Backpack Buddies and their supporting organizations have joined forces with the North Marion School District, North Marion Parent Teacher Organization (PTO), the North Marion Services Team, and Jubilee Pantry in Hubbard to create a food and hygiene box distribution system throughout the district. This team, practicing social distancing, is creating and delivering 80 boxes per week to at risk families during this most difficult time as well as helping to support the work of Jubilee Pantry, which is currently supporting about 30 additional families on a bi-weekly basis.
We would love your help! Online financial donations to help support this important work can be made online by pressing the “Donate Now” button below and selecting “Backpack Buddies” in the menu of giving choices.
See below the history and original mission of our North Marion Backpack Buddies outreach…
North Marion Backpack Buddies
North Marion Backpack Buddies is a nutrition program for at-risk-kids at North Marion Primary and Intermediate Schools. Based on a national model, young students who receive free or reduced school lunches are provided two complete “heat and eat” meals each weekend to ensure that they have enough to eat over the weekend when school meals are not available.
Acting as the coordinator, Christ Lutheran Church partners with other local faith communities and the Aurora American Legion Auxiliary to provide this service, currently providing over 200 meals (2 meals x 100 kids) each weekend throughout the school year. Church volunteers purchase food, assemble bags, and deliver meals to the school. School counselors and teachers then put the meals discretely in the kid’s backpacks for them to take home over the weekend.
Along with very generous donations from Pacific Foods, our congregation financially supports this ministry with our annual dessert auction at the Aurora Park in August as well as with other occasional fundraisers. We are also grateful for support from friends of the congregation and other community service organizations. Online support for this feeding program can be made by pressing the “Donate Now” button above and selecting “Backpack Buddies” in the menu of giving choices.