Aug 15, 2013 3 min read

Backpacks that some children in local schools take home on the weekend aren’t filled with just books.

They also contain food.

It’s all part of a program called Blessings in a Backpack, a national nonprofit program designed for young children whose families qualify for the federally funded free and reduced-price lunches and have little or no food on the weekends. Better test scores, improved reading skills, increased attendance, positive behavior and improved health have been attributed to the program

According to blessingsinabackpack.org, the program is feeding nearly 62,000 children in 544 schools in 42 states and is a hybrid of private sector funding and public partnerships.

This year, Washington Crown Center is partnering with Washington Christian Outreach for Blessings in a Backpack. Shoppers are encouraged to help fill backpacks by bringing school supplies and canned goods to the center’s management office Sunday through Aug. 25. Items also can be donated during the Back-to-School Bash Aug. 24 at the mall.

Blessings in a Backpack was founded in 2005 by Stan Curtis of USA Harvest in Louisville, Ky. It was introduced locally in 2011 by Washington Christian Outreach, which partnered with CentiMark Corp. at Southpointe to provide food for students at Washington Elementary-Middle School. In addition to CentiMark’s financial backing, area residents made donations, said Jeanne Allender, president of Washington Christian Outreach.

That first year, volunteers filled 770 backpacks each week, which at 70 percent of the school’s enrollment in kindergarten through eighth grade, was above the national average.

At the time, Kelly Zebrasky, principal at the elementary school, said, “I noticed that the parents are very accepting, and the majority of children look forward to it every Friday. I feel it’s filling a void for a lot of people. I don’t think people understand how these kids live.”

Last year, Trinity North Elementary School got on board, partnering with CentiMark to provide 160 students with food.

“It provides a little bit of a cushion for families in need, to help them get through the weekend. The kids look forward to it,” Dr. Beth Tully, principal at Trinity North, told the Observer-Reporter.

Backpack food includes easy-to-prepare, ready-to-eat foods, like granola bars, applesauce, fruit strips, juice boxes, breakfast bars, pop tarts, ramen noodles and oatmeal.

It costs about $80 to feed one child during a 38-week school year. Volunteers, primarily from area churches, fill the backpacks each week.

“I’ve never met a parent in the district who hasn’t been supportive when they knew you have their children’s best interest at heart,” Zebrasky said.

To make a donation to the local Blessings in a Backpack program, mail a check to Washington Christian Outreach, P.O. Box 1659, Washington, PA 15301. More information about the program is available at www.blessingsinabackpack.org.