The Salvation Army Alaska – Petersburg Corps continued its partnership with the Petersburg School District to provide weekend food assistance for children fed by the school during the week. This service/program fills a need for the children in our community who are going hungry over the weekend because the only food they get is at school during the week. The Petersburg Corps purchases school backpacks for students and stocks them with food for the weekend to meet essential food needs for families. The school then identifies children in need and hands out backpacks with discretion in respect for the child and family.
This year’s program increased backpacks from 15 to 21 per week. The Corps Officers and volunteers filled backpacks with “convenience” food items that kids can prepare themselves and returned them to school on Thursdays for distribution on Fridays. The Salvation Army Corps used a grant from the Petersburg Community Foundation and a small amount of other funding in support of this program, as well as reduced program costs by pre-ordering food items from a local grocer.
