The Knox College run organization ‘Blessings in a Backpack’ is gearing up for another fufulling school year. The Blessings in a Backpack program was started in 2010 to provide local elementary students daily food. Through the work of Knox College and community volunteers, students are provided with a backpack of food to take home with them on the weekends, when school meals are unavailable. Teresa Nelson, Director of Civic Engagement at Knox College, shares more on this amazing program:
“The Knox students also donate apples so that they have fresh fruit in the bag. So every term, at the end of the term, if they’ve got extra meal swipes, then they can donate up to ten meal swipes. Each one is equivalent to ten apples. So in addition to the food that we purchase, the Knox students also donate fresh fruit every week so that they go in the bag.”
Last year, Blessings in a Backpack served between 400 and 425 Galesburg students each week. If you’re interested in volunteering, the team meets every Tuesday at 6 pm at First Presbyterian Church in Galesburg during the school year to pack the bags. For more information, visit the Blessings in a Backpack-Galesburg Facebook page.
*** For the full interview from our recent Stuff the Pantry Food Drive, Listen Here***
