Winter Break Feed and Read Provides for Over 800 Students

Posted: Dec 19, 2016 1:29 PM 

​By Ashley Hanley, News Anchor/Reporter

Feeding Our Communities Partners (FOCP) will be distributing more than 800 boxes of food to students in the area this week for their annual Winter Feed and Read. The boxes of food will be given to students who are enrolled in BackPack Food Program, which ensures that food insecure children have adequate food during weekends and school breaks.  

The winter break box contains a variety of nutritious, easy-to-prepare and child-friendly breakfasts, lunches and snacks, as well as a menu to help children make a balanced meal each day of the 12 day break. Boxes will have shelf stable foods, a loaf of bread, fresh fruit and vegetables, yogurt, cheese, as well as a voucher for milk and fruit juice.

Funding for this event is provided by Mayo Clinic Health System. Additional support and in-kind services provided by the City of North Mankato, Coughlan Company, Angie’s Boom Chicka Pop, Locher Brothers, Child’s World Books, Mackin Books, Creekside Boutique, and Blue Earth Taxi Service. 

“Mayo Clinic Health System is proud to support the BackPack Food Program’s distribution of nutritious food for the winter break. Our employee volunteers know this is an important way that we can help reduce stress on families this time of year and make sure that kids in our community continue to have access to healthy food.”  - Chaun Cox, M.D., Family Medicine physician at Mayo Clinic Health System

Students will also be able to select new books to take home, thanks to Delta Kappa Gamma (DKG), a women educator’s organization, who first organized the book program for FOCP in 2013. Popular, well-known books are selected by the children’s librarian at the North Mankato Taylor Library and are purchased through funds DKG raises throughout the year. Employees from Coughlan Company will entertain students with live readings on both days. 

Winter Break box distribution is December 20th from 8:30am to 4pm and again on December 21st from 8:30am to 6pm at Feeding Our Communities Partners, 2120 Howard Drive West, Suites F & G, North Mankato.  Free transportation will be provided to and from FOCP by Blue Earth Taxi Service. 

​-KEYC News 12

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