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Asheville City Schools District

Backpack Program
Alexandra Wolff, Hunter Cox, Maddie Siegel, Natasha Athey

A Glimpse into a Backpack Program


https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=tPr1GIM9jY0

Who?
45.3 million people in poverty in the U.S.
42.42 % of students in the Asheville City Schools
District receive free or reduced lunch at school each day
These students, as well as others not qualifying for the
free and reduced lunch program, often do not receive
adequate food over the weekend

Who? Continued.
1,894 students in the Asheville City Schools District, as
of Oct. 31, 2014 are currently receiving free or reduced
lunch
It is estimated that at least 2,000 students in this
district would be in need of services provided by
Backpack Buddies of Asheville

What?
Backpack Buddies of Asheville would be a program
modeled after other backpack programs around the
country, but intentionally designed to reach the students
in Asheville City Schools District
The program would aim to provide students who would
otherwise not receive sufficient and nutritional food
over the weekend with a bag filled with non-perishable,
nutritious food on Friday afternoons

What? Continued.
Based on research of other backpack programs, it is
assumed that the weekly cost for one child to receive
food for the weekend will be $3.25
With Backpack Buddies of Asheville, each participant
will receive two nutritional meals each weekend for 37
weeks a year (the equivalent of the school year)
Annual cost for one child = $125

What? Continued.
A grant for $300,000 will allow Backpack Buddies of
Asheville to be jump-started and serve a minimum of 2,000
students for the first year
More students could be reached with the help of donations
(monetary and material), as well as by using volunteers as
opposed to paid workers to collect and distribute the food,
although one person will be paid through the money received
by the grant as the overall coordinator of the program
Remaining money will be used to reach more students or
carry over to continue the program for years to come

Where?
Asheville City Schools District
Asheville Middle, Asheville High, Claxton
Elementary, Hall Fletcher Elementary, Ira B. Jones
Elementary, Isaac Dickson Elementary, School of
Inquiry and Life Science, Vance Elementary

When?
First backpack program: Little Rock, AR, 1995
A school nurse noticed a large number of her students
were sick and falling behind in class because of hunger
and malnutrition
Today, hundreds of backpack programs exist all over
America and provide thousands of children with food
over the weekend

How?
The food sent with the kids will include
kid-friendly, non-perishable items, such
as: peanut butter, granola bars, cans of
protein or soup, fruit cups, raisins,
applesauce, etc.

How? Continued.
Criteria to determine whether or not a student qualifies
for the program includes:
Whether the student is on free or reduced lunch
If the family is living under the federal poverty line
Recommendations from teachers and counselors

How? Continued.
Money from the grant will ensure enough food can be bought for
the first year of the program, but holding food drives and other
ways for the community to donate will help save money and reach
more students, as well as increase community support and
involvement
Food would be stored either at a local church or supply closet at
each school, if space allows
3 - 5 volunteers would be needed at each school on Friday
afternoons to place the bags of food in the students backpacks
during recess, so as not to single them out and draw attention to
them

Why?
In 2011, 19.4% of Americans answered yes to the question, Have
there been times in the last twelve months when you did not have
enough money to buy food that you or your family needed?
People that are in poverty struggle to pay for things like clothes,
housing, and considerably most important: food. Lack of food and
lack of the right kinds of food can lead to malnourishment.
Malnutrition is a very serious problem that can lead to many health
conditions, especially in young children.

Why? Continued.
The percent of Americans aged five through seventeen living in poverty
as of 2012 was 21%
If a child becomes malnourished, he or she can become sick or have
reduced mental and physical development. In extreme cases of
malnutrition, children can have stunted growth, mental retardation,
and brain damage.
Some examples of negative effects of malnutrition and not eating right
are attention deficit disorder, impaired school performance, decreased
IQ scores, memory deficiency, learning disabilities, reduced social
skills, reduced language development, and reduced problem-solving
abilities.

Why? Continued.
Being hungry can distract a child from their work during the
school day. Teachers often notice problems with hungry
students in the morning, before they have had a chance to eat
lunch.
Teachers cite lethargy, headaches, stomachaches and difficulty
concentrating as direct consequences of hunger.
Schools want for their students to succeed and go on to the next
grade level, or off to college. No matter how great a teacher is at
instructing his or her students, if a child is struggling with
hunger he or she will likely not succeed.

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