Program provides weekend meals for needy children

On Monday mornings, children always ate the most at school breakfasts-- about 30 percent more in a survey of Richmond public schools.

The reason? They were hungrier after a weekend without meals at school.

School officials contacted the Central Virginia Foodbank for help, and now there's a backpack program to send food for the weekends home with the neediest children.

The program pioneered last year at four schools where a high percentage of children qualify for free or reduced lunches.

This year, it has expanded into six Richmond schools, nine Henrico County schools, three Chesterfield County schools, and three locations in Petersburg. The number of children getting aid has grown from about 125 a week to about 500 a week.

Most of the sites distribute food packages to 30 or 40 children each week. Henrico opted to involve more schools but only about 15 children at each.

"It could triple easily," said Warren Hammonds, community resources manager for Meals on Wheels Serving Central Virginia.

"If we had funding for 1,500 bags a week and the infrastructure to do it, we would have no problem with points of distribution [to those] in need," he said.

Richard Schultz, executive vice president for FeedMore, said some sites report they could distribute as many as 400 meals.

"The need is that great. We are trying to, as rapidly as we can, build the infrastructure to support that.

"I have come to appreciate how much childhood hunger is tied to a child's ability to learn." With programs like this, he said, "we can get to the root of that problem."

Each weekend pack, intended to go home in a child's backpack, contains 18 items to provide two breakfasts, two lunches and two dinners.

A recent weekend's menu called for cereal, milk and applesauce for both breakfasts. Lunches and dinners featured pasta with meat or cheese, along with a vegetable or fruit.

"It's health-oriented food," Hammonds said. "We didn't want to give them junk food. We wanted to give them food they can enjoy and is easily accessible and can be consumed if there is no help at home."

The cost of each weekend pack is $8 to $9, he said. Buying the items in bulk makes the money go farther, but it still adds up to about $4,000 to $5,000 a week for the program.

Volunteers from the Communities in Schools program and Virginia Commonwealth University students handle most of the deliveries.

At Oak Grove Elementary School, one of the distribution points on Richmond's South Side, Principal Jannie Laursen said the program "has really helped our children." Participants include children whose parents have lost jobs and children who are homeless.

"The parents are very, very thankful for this whole program," she said. "When they are being provided food for their children, they don't have to worry over the weekend."

Contact Katherine Calos at (804) 649-6433 or .