Monday , March 18 2024
The Cincinnati Public Library says a plan to give children backpacks of food for weekends is off to an excellent start.

Backpacks Fight Hunger in America

The Cincinnati Public Library says a plan to give children backpacks of food for weekends is off to an excellent start. Library branches, in partnership with the Cincinnati Freestore Foodbank, are hosting summer feeding sites to make sure no child goes hungry.

Over 25 percent of children in Ohio are considered hungry or “food insecure,” according to a study by Feeding America. Last month the Library decided to provide backpacks of food which children could take home on Fridays. This food is in addition to regular weekday meals at library branches throughout Cincinnati.

Diane Smiley, the youth services coordinator for the Library, says “Based on the numbers and anecdotal feedback from some of the sites, Friday attendance has spiked and all the backpacks are being distributed. We’re glad this additional resource is available to kids who are clearly in need.”

Backpack food (file photo courtesy of the Cincinnati Freestore Foodbank)

Karrie Denniston of Feeding America, the nation’s largest organization fighting hunger, says that adding backpack programs to summer feeding is generally a success: “It is becoming frequent actually. A lot of our summer programs run both.”

Backpacks ensure that needy children can have meals all week, and cut down the gaps in coverage that are so common when summer arrives. During the school year children have access to free and reduced-price meals through the federal school lunch and breakfast program. They also have access to backpack programs through their school. During the school year the Freestore Foodbank of Cincinnati runs a backpack program called the “Power Pack.” When summer comes and school is out, a replacement is needed.

The Freestore is planning expansion of its school year “Power Pack” program as well. The Cincinnati Public Library is also seeking to expand its role in alleviating child hunger and promoting education. Smiley says that “we’re looking at developing a community partnership that would provide free and healthy afterschool snacks to kids at our Homework Help sites.”

About William Lambers

William Lambers is the author of several books including Ending World Hunger: School Lunches for Kids Around the World. This book features over 50 interviews with officials from the UN World Food Programme and other charities discussing school feeding programs that fight child hunger. He is also the author of Nuclear Weapons, The Road to Peace: From the Disarming of the Great Lakes to the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, Open Skies for Peace, The Spirit of the Marshall Plan: Taking Action Against World Hunger, School Lunches for Kids Around the World, The Roadmap to End Global Hunger, From War to Peace and the Battle of Britain. He is also a writer for the History News Service. His articles have been published by newspapers including the Cincinnati Enquirer, Des Moines Register, the New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Buffalo News, San Diego Union Tribune, the Providence Journal, Free Lance-Star (VA), the Bakersfield Californian, the Washington Post, Miami Herald (FL), Chicago Sun-Times, the Patriot Ledger (MA), Charleston Sunday Gazette Mail (WV), the Cincinnati Post, Salt Lake Tribune (UT), North Adams Transcript (MA), Wichita Eagle (KS), Monterey Herald (CA), Athens Banner-Herald (GA) and the Duluth News Journal. His articles also appear on History News Network (HNN) and Think Africa Press. Mr. Lambers is a graduate of the College of Mount St. Joseph in Ohio with degrees in Liberal Arts (BA) and Organizational Leadership (MS). He is also a member of the Feeding America Blogger Council.

Check Also

Christmas in July Arrives for Ohio Charity

A Cincinnati charity got an unexpected surprise from a local farm this July.