Lighting the Way continues its monthly volunteer work at the Eastern Shore Foodbank’s Tasley facility.
In September, the group packed nearly 500 individual bags for the Foodbank’s backpack program.
The nationally recognized program consists of bags/backpacks filled with food that children take home on weekends. Food is child-friendly, nonperishable and easily consumed. Bags/backpacks are discreetly distributed to children on the last day before the weekend or holiday vacation.
According to the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore, students are identified by school personnel as being food insecure by a variety of criteria. More than 93,000 children in the Foodbank’s area are eligible to receive free or reduced-price school lunches — a reliable indicator that hunger and food insecurity regularly threaten their respective lives.
At present, the Foodbank serves 60 schools in our area including schools in Tidewater and on the Eastern Shore and approximately 3,800 children. Last year, we distributed over 65,000 backpacks at 63 schools.
Cooperative employees have been volunteering monthly at the local Foodbank for about five years.