By Dina Falcone
Lysander Town Clerk
As you may know, there are local elementary children who are at risk of hunger when school is not in session. Thankfully, the Rotary of Baldwinsville began the “Backpack Project.” Last year, donations were collected at the November Turkey Trot, and in coordination with volunteers from Rotary, B’ville Interact Club, B’ville Kiwanis, Baldwinsville Library, and St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, they were able to expand to serve all elementary schools and contribute donations to the student-run pantry at Baker High School.
When I learned of this program, I knew I wanted to get involved to help our local school children. I’m excited to announce that during the month of August, my office will hold a donation drop location for the program. The goal is to give children enough food to get them through a weekend, a holiday, or a school break without going hungry.
In the 2018-19 school year the Backpack Program supplied food to the BEE Full pantries at Baker High School, Durgee Junior High School and Ray Middle School. The Backpack Program also supplied food to elementary students in the district at Elden, Reynolds, McNamara and Van Buren. The elementary students are given bags of food to take home in their backpacks on Friday nights so that they have food over the weekend and on school breaks.
Each September the school district collects free and reduced lunch applications from students in the district. The need in Baldwinsville to support our food insecure students is great.
The foods that work best for the backpack program are shelf-stable (no refrigeration), don’t require cooking, have longer expiration dates and are in individual packages. Popular items with the students include juice bottles, juice boxes and the foods listed below:
- Granola bars
- Individual boxes of cereal
- Fruit snacks or fruit leather
- Ritz Bits (cheese or peanut butter)
- Juice boxes
- Individual pudding cups
- Individual Jell-O cups
- Individual applesauce cups
- Goldfish cracker packages
- Teddy Graham packages
Please drop off donations to Lysander Town Hall, 8220 Loop Road, Baldwinsville. If you have any questions about the program, please contact Town Clerk Dina Falcone at 315-638-0224, or via email: [email protected].
