The Backpack bites program provides supplemental food for the weekend to families on the Free and Reduced Meals (FaRM) program. The FaRM program at Montgomery County schools provides free or reduced cost breakfast and lunch to children from low income families. This ensures that those children have at least two meals on school days. In January 2019, the Backpack Bites program was started at Poolesville Elementary School to provide supplemental food over the weekend to FARMs families with elementary age children. The program continued during the 2019-2020 school year at both Poolesville and Monocacy Elementary Schools, until Covid caused us to pause the program. The program restarted in Fall of 2022.
Backpack Bites is a collaboration between Poolesville Presbyterian, local churches, and WUMCO Help, with significant contributions by KPC Buddhist Relief. The program provides a bag of food that contains enough food for (at least) one nutritious meal and snacks. The bag is sent home on Friday of each week in a child's backpack. Currently the number of families being served between the two schools is always over 20.
The backpacks are "stuffed" by volunteers monthly at Poolesville Presbyterian in Speer Hall - four backpacks are "stuffed" for each child. The backpacks are then delivered weekly by volunteers to the two schools (for distribution there to the children). Note: the only persons who know the names of the children receiving the backpacks are at the schools - neither WUMCO, Poolesville Presbyterian, or any of the organizations involved and volunteers know anything other than the number of children per school.
Click here to view a video made by KPC Buddhist Relief about Backpack Bites. Be sure to unmute the video!!