Buddy Pack Program helps children during the school year

The Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri serves 32 counties, and 28 of them take part in the Buddy Pack Program.

“It makes me feel good that we can be a part of aiding a family and a student,” said Alpha Hart Buddy Pack Coordinator Tara Collier.

Collier said every week during the school year, she gets that feeling because she helps prepare a buddy pack.

A buddy pack is a snack bag filled with two meals, breakfast items such as peanut butter and granola bars for students to take home every weekend or holiday during the school year.

The buddy packs are a supplement to their regular groceries.

Stacy Brown is the children’s program coordinator at the food bank.

“On Friday when the buddy packs are being handed out, we ask that the buddy packs go right into the child’s own backpack,” said Brown.

Right now, more than 7,000 students and 153 schools receive buddy packs.

Brown said helping out the families is what the program is all about.

“During times whenever school lunches or school breakfasts are not available it’s a little bit of a struggle sometimes for them to get their kids proper nutrition so that is where the buddy packs come in. We know if we can give them a little bit of something to help them get through the weekends, then they can come back to school on Monday full, not hungry, and ready to learn.”

In Boone County, more than 6.8 million pounds of items were given out.

In Cole County, more than 1.4 million pounds were distributed.

Just at Alpha Hart, almost 300 students took home buddy packs this past year.

“It just opens my eyes to the need in Mid-Missouri of what families need to help supplement them on a weekly basis,” said Collier.