Back-to-School with Weekend Food For Kids
Back-to-School is a busy season for many people and organizations in our community, and Ballard Food Bank is no exception!
After a slower summer season bringing kid-friendly bags to summer school students at Queen Anne Elementary School and families at Bitter Lake Community Center, our Weekend Food for Kids program is ready to ramp up for the school year.
The Weekend Food For Kids setup at Bitter Lake Community Center
Summer programming for Weekend Food For Kids ensures we’re still reaching our community while school is out. 289 students at Queen Anne Elementary School and 150 students at Bitter Lake Community Center left with fresh produce, portable snacks that are convenient for kids, and full sized items of pantry staples.
Lily, the program coordinator for Weekend Food For Kids shares “There were lots of fun and memorable moments but a few stand out: I recognized the first family who came to the first Bitter Lake pop-up from last year’s pop-up at Broadview-Thomson K-8.”
The dedicated crew of volunteers and Lily overheard summer school students get excited about certain items and mention who they were taking specific things for. Comments like “My mom loves broccoli!” or “my sister loved avocados” were signs that the pop-up was impacting more than just our students.
Lily and Gloria, a longtime Weekend Food For Kids volunteer, stand next to pantry staples in front of the Bitter Lake Community Center mural.
The pop-up served more than just food. Lily says, “We passed out summer activity bags that a corporate volunteer group made for us. Many children had huge smiles after our volunteer Nelle adjusted the straps of their new bags and helped them put it on.” It was a great way to bring joy and fun to kiddos during summer.
With summer programming nearly behind her, Lily explains her enthusiasm for the next year, “As we head back into regular school-year programing I'm looking forward to reuniting with our fantastic volunteer team and seeing how we can continue to improve on the variety and quality of the bags. I'm excited to see what the response is to our changes this year including the addition of the family meal bag type and our new newsletter.”
At the end of last school year, volunteers were packing 675 bags each week for students at 21 different schools in the Seattle Public Schools district, a record number. Usually, enrollment starts slower in the fall and ramps up as more students and families learn about the program, or as school staff begin to identify students who might benefit from the bags. Because school age children get up to 50% of their daily calories at school during the week, these bags – containing three dinners, two breakfasts, two lunches, and snacks – are a critical support during the weekend.
Based on the top languages spoken in the schools, this year’s enrollment form is available in Amharic, French, Russian, Spanish, and Tigrinya as well as English. On the form, students are invited to share their dietary needs and preferences. Last year, 23% of bags were adjusted for special diets. So common versions are diabetic-friendly, nut-free, gluten-free, vegetarian, and halal. With some children needing multiple accommodations, there are up to 36 different combinations to pack each week!
One of Ballard Food Bank’s core values is “we seek to include perspectives, input, and guidance from the people we serve”. Food Access Manager Lily Cowen embodies this as she manages the program and makes changes based on feedback from surveys and Pizza Chats (focus groups where both students and caregivers can give bigger picture feedback about what works best in the bags for children and families) multiple times during the school year. Surveys are also translated and largely image-based so kids can share what their favorite items are and what isn’t working as well for them. Apples and other fresh fruit are always popular! Based on survey results last year showing the individual cereal boxes were too small, Lily began ordering the larger servings to keep kids going through their weekend mornings.
This year, students have the option to choose no-cook bags or family meals rather than the default option. Over 2,200 children in Seattle Public Schools were experiencing homelessness as of last October, a 20% increase over the prior year, which had already seen a 30% increase from the year before. With so many kids and families lacking kitchen access, it’s important to have options that don’t require cooking. Along with the food each student receives, the family meal includes a couple of full-size items such as peanut butter and jelly, pasta and sauce, canned meats and vegetables, and rice that can be used to prepare a meal for the whole family, including preschool age children. This helps families increase their access to food while stretching their budgets further during difficult times.
As with all our programs, we expect demand for Weekend Food for Kids to grow again this year as our community continues to face cuts in government programs such as SNAP and Medicaid and as inflation continues to grow. We’re so grateful for our neighbors who donate funds, food, and time to help us bring food and hope to so many children and families.