Waukesha Co. program makes sure kids don’t go hungry

For many students in southeastern Wisconsin, meals at school are a necessary source of food. But what happens on the weekend? A Waukesha County organization is making sure those kids don’t go hungry when the school bell rings.

The Waukesha County Chapter of Blessings in a Backpack provides food for elementary school students to take home on the weekends. Kids that rely on school meals during the week then don’t go hungry over those two days.

“We started feeding only 25 kids in September of 2012. And at the end of this past school year, we were feeding 962 kids,” said Regina Estrada, program coordinator for Blessings in a Backpack.

Blessings in a Backpack relies on volunteers. It received a grant from Diversified Insurance Solutions to pay for the food, help with a truck for loading and delivery and for the second year in a row, Vrakas provided the manpower.

food waukesha “Last year we did 2,500 bags,” said McGee. “This year, given the size of the space, decided we could do 5,000.”

That amount will get Blessings in a Backpack through about five weeks. But the impact on the students lasts much longer.

“One of the teachers wrote us a note and she said, ‘you know, you think you’re giving these kids food. You’re making them feel important, cared for and loved,'” said Estrada.