By James B. Bartle

BACKPACK PROGRAM OFF AND RUNNING. The members of Grace United Methodist Church have kicked off a wonderful program to help area children battling hunger. Pictured filling backpacks from the church, from left to right: Sheri Griffin, Shirley Isgriggs and Steve Williams, pastor.

A local church has started a food program that involves snacks and backpacks to help ensure that area children in need are given food for their weekends away from school.
The Sullivan program is a spin off of a program currently operating in the Kansas City, KS area.
Grace United Methodist Church pastor, Steve Williams, spoke with the Independent news this week regarding the program the church began in Sullivan in January.
“We started the program in January of this year after a member of our congregation suggested we try it here, as she had seen it work in Kansas City,” said Williams. “K.C. started a pilot program with Harvester Food Distribution Center with 100 backpacks their first year and now they’re doing 8,000.”
“Our member suggested that we do a program here in Sullivan and partner up with the school system. So we contacted the Elementary and Primary schools and they felt they could work with us and welcomed the program.”
In the church’s brochure on the program, it states, “There are hundreds of children in the Sullivan schools who participate in the free or reduced lunch program. Many of these same children have little or nothing to eat on the weekends. Backpack Snacks is a way to provide food for these children and address the problems of weekend hunger.”
Williams first presented the program to his congregation and, unlike the K.C. program where Harvester assists in the cost, the congregation would have to support the Sullivan program.
“It’s a big challenge for us and we talked about it as a congregation and our people said, ‘What can we do to help?’” said Williams. “Since that time, we are now in our fifth week of the program and sending 44 backpacks to the schools on Friday.”
The church relies solely on donations from the congregation, and individuals, to support their program. In five weeks, the church has spent $800 filling the backpacks full of fruit drinks, chocolate milk, peanut butter, crackers, fruit snacks and other items.
The backpacks themselves were purchased by congregation members in memory or honor of an individual, and are filled each week by the congregation and its after-school program.
“We support this program solely off donations and would welcome anyone who would like to participate,” said Williams.
An interesting note is that several of the children in the backpack program have learned to save some of their snacks over the weekend, so that they can take a snack to their respective schools during snack time.
The State of Missouri ranks 10th with the highest hunger problem in the United States.