DAVENPORT, IA – River Bend Food Bank recently notified school partners of a strategic change that will provide five times more meals to school kids and their families. Beginning this school year, the Food Bank will phase out the Backpack Program and transition fully to school pantries.
River Bend Food Bank President & CEO Chris Ford communicated to school administrators and pantry coordinators recently that Phase One will include more than 20 schools transitioning this August. These schools will discontinue offering pre-packaged bags of food to individual students through the Backpack Program. Instead, students and their families will have access to school pantries already located at participating school sites.
“River Bend Food Bank is continuing to invest in providing hunger relief for children,” Ford said. “We know prioritizing school pantries is the smart choice and that this approach provides more food – an average of 54 pounds per month versus 12 pounds per month – at a fraction of the cost while serving the entire family.”
This operational change comes as River Bend Food Bank is reviewing how resources are delivered in the wake of the passage of federal legislation which will reduce SNAP benefits for millions of food insecure individuals.
“It’s more important than ever that we do the most with the dollars and resources we have to provide hunger relief,” said Ford. “We’re determining how we can best use existing infrastructure to maximize our reach and efficiency. There are a lot of challenges ahead and this strategic change to school pantries is one component of how we’re preparing for the future.”
Under the current Backpack Program, River Bend Food Bank partners with schools and nonprofit afterschool programs to distribute individually packaged grocery bags to about 3,000 children every Friday. The bags include two breakfasts, two lunches and two dinners.Many of the Food Bank’s partner sites already have school pantries and those that do not will receive assistance during this transition to launch a pantry.
River Bend Food Bank Partnerships Director Nikki Habben said the benefits of visiting a School Pantry are huge. “It provides food to sustain the whole family,” Habben said. “School Pantries may also offer fresh produce, meat or frozen items to families – all at a significant cost savings. The new model means we can serve more food, more often to more people in a way that works most effectively with the Food Bank.”
Davenport Community Schools are part of the Phase One transition to the School Pantry Model. Student & Family Services Specialist Shaney Ford said the district is proud to partner with River Bend Food Bank to assist families in need.
“We’re encouraging families to utilize the school pantries we currently have in place and those we may add in the future,” she said. “We understand that school pantry sites offer greater flexibility and wider variety of food options. We are thankful for the work that River Bend does to ensure that no student goes hungry.”