The new school year has begun! At Weekend Survival Kits we are excited to begin a new school year of service to the most vulnerable and food insecure kids attending one of the 60 plus elementary and middle schools which we currently serve in the Mid-Michigan area.
This school year marks the 10th year of our full-on commitment to the Weekend Survival Kits food support program. Along the way we have continued to be blessed by the generosity of two faith communities, Okemos Community Church and more recently the 2l42 Church. Both organizations stepped up when we needed them to give us a place for twice monthly kit packing events and distribution efforts. These faith communities made it possible for us to fulfill our promise to feed hungry kids … at no cost to the program.
Also critical to our process are the nearly 1000 registered volunteers who have over the years, believed as we do that children deserve the weekend food assistance afforded by our mission to Give Hope to Hungry Kids By helping us fill this weekend food gap, we are proud to say that the work that we have collectively done has made a difference for those kids we served…guaranteeing that their Mondays would be free from the distractions of hunger.
Because of the weekend food supports, the participating kids were able to come to school ready to focus and learn, rather than suffering from the effects of 48 long hours over the weekend without enough to eat. In case you are unaware, the kids who participate in our program also qualify for the federally funded programs known as the free/reduced breakfast/lunch which is available at most schools.
You may also be unaware of our other, newer program, which we consider as a gift to teachers. It is called the Weekday Snack Program. When we established this supplemental program a few years ago, the plan was to have a “no questions asked program” for any child who may have come to school for any reason without snacks. We believe teachers should not have to spend their personal hard-earned money on purchasing snacks for kids.
If you are a teacher, a parent, or grandparent and you want to know if the Weekend Survival Kits and Weekday Snack program are available in your child’s school, please check out our website on the Get Involved page. If our program is active in their school, signing up should be very easy by contacting the school office. The kits are usually packed by volunteers on Wednesday evening twice a month and are delivered by volunteers on Thursday morning. The food kits come in an un-marked grocery bag and will fit in most kids backpacks. Should your child’s school not be on our list, please feel free to reach out to our Director of Operations, Kyla Parkllan by email at kyla@weekendsurvivalkits.org .