Description of the program
Backpack Buddies was started nationally by America’s Second Harvest, the parent organization of the nation’s food banks. The NCJW Howard County Section in partnership with the Maryland Food Bank and Head Start Howard County ensures that children who attend Head Start Howard County at the Tubman Center go home each weekend with a backpack full of nutritious food not only for them, but for their siblings, over 80 children in all.
We have 13 teams of volunteers who come in weekly to fill the backpacks. The children bring the packs back each Monday and will take them home each Friday.
We are working to expand the program into other Head Start Centers in the county.
How many children are taking home backpacks?
36 Head Start Students will take home backpacks – with food for over 80 children in total.
What's in the backpacks?
The food is a combination of nutritious snacks, like cereal bars, juice, fruit, and one full meal, which includes a protein, vegetable and carbohydrate. All the siblings in the family are being supplied with the same food. There are also 6 separate menus that we repeat, so the children do not receive the same food two weeks in a row. We also provide bread and cereal on a weekly basis. On a monthly basis, we are sending perishable items home -- such as Corbi Pizza Kits.
About NCJW Howard County Section
For over a century, the National Council of Jewish Women has been at the forefront of social change—championing the needs of women, children, and families—while courageously taking a progressive stance on such issues as child welfare, women’s rights, and reproductive freedom. And now, with progressive ideals facing their greatest challenge in a generation, it’s even more important that courageous, compassionate women find a place to come together and take a stand.
NCJW embraces women of diverse backgrounds and temperaments, thinkers and doers who want to play a part at the local, national, and even global levels. What unifies our 90,000 members and supporters around the country is a belief in what NCJW stands for—the belief that progressive ideals put into meaningful action can improve the world. NCJW is the most potent, most effective, most satisfying place where you can take that action and become a positive force for change.
Hattie Katkow Backpack Buddies Co-Chair
Jean Grinspoon Backpack Buddies Co-Chair
Marcia Frezza, VP Community Service
About Maryland Food Bank
The Maryland Food Bank, an affiliate of America's Second Harvest and the only food bank serving the entire state, was founded in 1979 to coordinate the procurement and distribution of food donations from manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers and government agencies to organizations providing free food to the state's hungry.
They provide nearly 12 million pounds of food annually to more than 900 nonprofit community food providers - including food pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters, low-income day care centers, after-school programs, senior centers, rehabilitation centers, and other feeding programs.
The Food Bank supplies the food for over 45,000 Marylanders each week who otherwise would go hungry or not eat enough, including families with children, the elderly, the homeless, the homebound, low-income workers, the recently unemployed, and people with AIDS and other health problems.
In addition to providing food, the Food Bank offers agencies ongoing support, services and education to the community food providers in our network.. We regularly conduct nutrition and food safety education workshops and networking sessions and provide them with a variety of tools and publications to enable them to strengthen their programs.
About Head Start Howard County
Jena Smith, Director