BackPack Weekend Food Program: 'A hungry child cannot learn'
A program started 11 years ago has provided more than 1.8 million meals to Gaston County students who otherwise would have been hungry on weekends.
The BackPack Weekend Food Program was the topic when Executive Director Leigh Spach spoke recently to the Belmont Rotary Club. She said the mission of the program is "to provide nutritionally balanced, non-perishable weekend meals to students in Gaston County schools during the school year so they can come to school ready to learn."
The program was started by former nurse Carolyn Niemeyer and her husband, Dr. Charles Niemeyer, in a bedroom of their home.
Dozens of partner churches and hundreds of volunteers are required to operate the program, which has just one full-time staff member and three part-time employees. And the challenges have increased since the COVID pandemic and resulting economic strains on families. In one school, the number of children needing weekend meals has increased from 50 to 161, Spach said.
The cost of food also has risen significantly this year. Last year a donation of $299 would provide weekend meals the entire school year for one elementary student, and a donation of $325 would do the same for middle and high school students. Those prices have risen this year to $323 and $385.
Non-perishable food is delivered in bulk to a warehouse, where dozens of volunteers work one day each month to pull supplies required for each church partner. Volunteers from the churches then pack meals for all of the participating students in the schools they serve. Students pick up their meals at school each Friday.
The BackPack Weekend Food Program is a non-profit organization and relies heavily on contributions and fund-raising. One of the major annual fundraisers, Dining at the Chef's Table, is set for Nov. 12. For more information on the program and the event, visit www.bwfpgc.com, or call 704-689-3363, extension 102.
Belmont Rotary Club, which will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2025, meets for lunch and a program on local topics each Wednesday, 12:30 - 1:30 p.m., at the Home2 Suites by Hilton in Belmont. Guests interested in learning more about local businesses and issues and how Rotary serves the community are welcome. For more information, visit www.belmontrotaryclub.com.
Ted Hall is a member of Belmont Rotary Club.
This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Gaston County feeds hungry students with BackPack Weekend Food Program
