Bakpak Bunch - Hearts With Hands has learned that throughout our school systems many of our children do not have food when they are not at school. A pilot program recently begun in Henderson has revealed that many of the children who are on reduced or free lunches only eat when school is in session. Linda Featherstone and Rob Rusnak, concerned parents at Fletcher Elementary, solicited the help of Hearts With Hands when they learned the problem existed. Hearts With Hands executive director Bill Bradley avowed, “When they advised me of this problem, I was absolutely astonished that many of our children may be going hungry during the weekends and on school breaks and of course, I pledged the full support of Hearts With Hands.” Mrs. Featherstone stated that she had been looking for a way to distribute the food that would not embarrass the children and she came up with the idea to use backpacks. For the first distribution in October, Featherstone obtained a donation of backpacks from Diamond Brand and filled fifty of them with convenience type foods. She distributed them to the children chosen by the school, who took them home for the weekend. The following week, every one of the empty backpacks was returned to be refilled, some with the empty wrappers and food containers. “This showed me there was a definite need and some of these children are secretly eating the contents”, Featherstone stated.
Since beginning the program, Hearts With Hands has been the primary source of food and Mrs. Featherstone has agreed to coordinate the program. “We already have several schools in both Henderson and Buncombe County we are helping, however, we are opening the program for all schools in our area. We understand a program of this nature is a huge undertaking, but, we have full confidence in the people of our area to help out, they always have.” stated Bradley of Hearts With Hands.

You can help the Bakpak Brigade help the Bakpak Bunch by donating:

• Backpacks, book bags; new or used
• Financial Donations to purchase food, backpacks, supplies, funds for printing and advertising
• Volunteers to help coordinate the program in each school
• Volunteers to help administer and procure the products/services at Hearts with Hands
• Convenience-Type Foods:
• Dry Cereals, Cereal bars, Pop-Tarts
• Pull-Top Pastas, Ravioli, Spaghettios
• Pudding and Fruit Cups
• Vienna Sausages, Tuna/Chicken Pouches
• Peanut Butter, Cheese Crackers
• Juice Boxes/Bottles, Silk Milk
• Apples, Oranges, other fruits
• Other foods that may be appropriate

For more information contact Hearts With Hands, Inc. at (828)667-1912, 1(800)726-9185. Financial donations should be mailed to
Hearts With Hands, Inc. at P. O. Box 6444 in Asheville, NC 28816.