How can a child focus on solving a math problem or memorizing a new word in school when they are trying to ignore the persistent pangs of hunger?
Teachers and counselors have found that in some instances, when Monday morning comes, they are forced to compete against hunger for the attention of their students. Unfortunately, many school children in our community go home to little or no food on the weekends. The RIFA Snack Backpack ministry works to fill this gap by providing kid-friendly, easy-to-prepare, nutritious food items for children who are at risk of going hungry on Saturdays and Sundays.
This ministry began in 2005 by serving 25 children at one elementary school. Today, RIFA provides Snack Backpacks to approximately 1,000 children at 14 elementary schools each week during the school year (37 weeks). Each Snack Backpack provides a child with six meals and two snacks and costs approximately $4.76. The yearly cost per child in the Snack Backpack program is $176.
