44°
This week, school officials announced that they were partnering with the Food Bank for Westchester to provide a “BackPack Program” that would send at-risk students home with a backpack full of nutritional food, not books.
According to Mount Vernon Superintendent Kenneth Hamilton, the BackPack Program is designed to help alleviate child hunger by providing hungry and at-risk children with nutritious, easy-to-prepare food on weekends and school vacations. Each BackPack includes six meals complete with protein, milk, fruit, grains and vegetables.
The BackPacks each include recipes – written in both English and Spanish – for families. As it is expected that the contents of each package will be shared with siblings and family members, the food items that are distributed are intentionally designed to be easily shared or included in a family meal.
“This program is part of Mount Vernon School District’s continuing effort to strengthen the home-to-school connection,” Hamilton said. “We make sure our students get the nutritious lunches they need while they’re at school. This program enables us to make sure the neediest children are fed after they leave our care.”
Click here to follow Daily Voice Mount Vernon and receive free news updates.
