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Regional Food Bank Programs

REGIONAL FOOD BANK PROGRAMS

BackPack Program
Extra Helpings
Kids Cafes®
Moveable Feast

BackPack Program

The Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York is proud to announce its first BackPack Program, in partnership with the Schoharie Central School District. The mission of the BackPack Program, a national program of Feeding America, is to help alleviate child hunger in America by providing hungry children with nutritious and easy-to-prepare food at times when other resources are not available, such as on weekends. The program provides bags filled with food that is child-friendly, shelf stable, and easily consumed. Bags are discreetly placed into the children's backpacks on Friday afternoons.

Information on the Schoharie Central School District's Pilot Program:
The Schoharie Central School District is located in a very rural setting. Situated among bucolic fields are many low-income households. As family farms have dwindled, most parents have sought work in outlying areas. Many of the available jobs are low-wage entry-level service positions. The area's largest factory, which formerly employed many in the community, closed several years ago, leaving even greater numbers in poverty. People in need of food assistance are served by just one pantry, and except for school feeding programs, there are no meals available to children on weekends or during the summer.

Beginning in October 2007, the Food Bank will provide bags filled with food to enrolled children. The bags will be packed by the High School Key Club and placed in the children's backpacks on Friday afternoons from the School Social Worker's Office, to maintain anonymity.

Items for distribution will include:

Shelf Stable Milk

2 Pop-Top Ready-to-Eat Entrees

Fresh Fruit and Vegetables (Shelf Stable)

Teachers, parents, and children will evaluate the program's impact twice during the school year. If the program proves to be successful, we hope to duplicate it in other communities throughout our service area.

If you would like to collect food specifically for children, click here for our BackPack Program flier.

For additional information regarding the BackPack Program, please contact:
Susan Lintner, Director of Member Services
518-786-3691 x224.
susanl@regionalfoodbank.net

Extra Helpings Program

Extra Helpings is a cooperative food-buying program that provides people with purchased food bags through partner agencies such as community centers throughout the Food Bank's 23-county service area. Extra Helpings provides high quality food at low cost so people can stretch their food-buying dollars.

Once a month, customers pre-pay for Extra Helpings food at local host sites. Customers may use cash, check, or food stamps (in limited areas). The program is open to anyone regardless of income or age, and offers:

A $21.00 food package that usually has four fresh meats and two fresh produce items.

Two food specials at individual prices. They are usually meat or cheese items in large sizes (3-5 pounds).

A $32.00 Meat Box that usually contains five meat items in large 2-3 pound packs.

Customers can order any combination of the above options. Host sites distribute the food on set dates, usually toward the end of each month.

Extra Helpings December 2008 Food Menu
Where Can Someone Pick Up Extra Helpings?

If your agency would like to distribute Extra Helpings, please contact:
Toni Clark
518-786-3691 x225
tonic@regionalfoodbank.net

Kids Cafe Logo

Kids Cafe® a program of Feeding America

In 1989, two young brothers in Savannah, GA were discovered late one night in the kitchen of their housing project's community center after the older brother broke into the kitchen to feed himself and his younger brother.

In response to this glaring example of child hunger, the Second Harvest Food Bank of Coastal Georgia started the first Kids Cafe. In 1993, America's Second Harvest (now Feeding America) launched the national Kids Cafe program. The Regional Food Bank opened its first Kids Cafes in 2003 with startup funding provided by the ConAgra Foods Feeding Children Better Foundation.

Kids Cafe programs provide free meals and snacks to low-income children through a variety of (existing) community organizations where children congregate such as Boys and Girls Clubs, churches, and public schools. In addition to providing hot meals to hungry kids, Kids Cafes offer a safe place where, under the supervision of trustworthy staff, children can get involved in educational, recreational and social activities that often include family members.

Moveable Feast

The Food Bank's Moveable Feast program focuses on the collection and prompt distribution of prepared and perishable foods from grocery stores, restaurants, caterers and food service operations. The Food Bank can provide restaurants and caterers with aluminum pans and lids to package prepared foods they wish to donate. The Moveable Feast trucks can pick up donations Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m.

The Food Bank can accept virtually any food or non-food product. However, we cannot accept items under the following conditions:

Product that has been thawed
Prepared food that has been exposed to public self-service
Product that has been repackaged, opened or removed from its original packaging

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