Looking Forward: Kids’ BackPack

 The Connecticut Food Bank BackPack Program is launching a new food package formulation to combat childhood hunger. We hear from school workers and the children themselves that many, if not most, children receiving a backpack share the contents with other family members. It’s wonderful that children share, but we know that the food a child receives does not last them the entire weekend. Because of this feedback and need, we have changed the contents of our backpack for the coming school year. Rather than single serving food items for the child, we are using family-sized items. The food is still kid friendly and highly nutritious, but comes in larger portions and sizes. For example, instead of two individual-sized containers of cereal, children will receive one large box of cereal. Instead of two smaller sized milks, there will be one 32-ounce container.

We have calculated that this change will provide approximately 60% more food at virtually the same cost. The new backpack will increase from five servings to 23.