Feeding Our Communities Partners Launch Pilot Program To Help Middle School Students

Posted: Mar 03, 2017 11:58 AM CST

NORTH MANKATO, Minn. -Feeding Our Communities Partners has launched a pilot program to help middle school students who are food insecure.

​An extension of their Backpack Food Program for elementary students, the Power Pack Program started this past fall at Dakota Meadows Middle School as a trial run. 

Delivered weekly to the school, the pack includes high protein and fiber items students can eat between school and extra–curricular or on the weekends.

Unlike the Backpack Food Program, where the meals are delivered to the students, Power Pack relies on the students picking up their bagged food.

FOCP Program Manager Nicole Swanson said, "In interviewing some of the students, they wanted to be empowered... they wanted to take the responsibility.

They're a little bit older. So, we had to change the pack itself, and we had to change how we implement it. They really want to be responsible for taking that themselves."

Currently, the pilot program is serving about 35 students.

Swanson says there are a lot of factors to look at before they can decide on expanding.

FOCP worked with area leaders, schools and students for about a year and a half to develop this new initiative.


--KEYC News 12

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