September 9, 2018

NUMBER OF PEOPLE SERVED
Food Closet		Backpacks
Last Week	509	Last Week	N/A
Since January 1st	14,595	School Year	12,850

The first week of school for the Beaverton School District got off to a quick (maybe slow if you consider the returned early morning school bus infused traffic) start. Within two days of opening I had multiple schools contacting me wanting to know if they would still be able to receive support via the back pack program. Of course the answer was a resounding yes. That first week we delivered food to the Bridges Academy on-site pantry where  over 12 students were already asking for something to eat. Granola bars were also dropped off at Aloha Huber school to help some of the kids get through the day.

This program started on October 4th, 2013 with the first delivery of 15 back packs to Barnes Elementary across the street. I really was not sure what direction this was headed, but remember clearly my wife, Cathie, telling me about the kids coming hungry to the school that she worked at and thinking something had to be done. In May, 2013 I was introduced to the person who led the now defunct SHINE program at Barnes and we began discussing what the kids needed and how HT might be able to help. We pretty quickly landed on the fact that the kids were coming to school on Monday so hungry they could not concentrate. Absentee rates were high and behavior was occasionally out-of-control due to hunger. Thus the back pack program was created. Over time it grew to include more schools and more churches. While I do not have final numbers for this school year, I am estimating that 12 –14 schools within the Beaverton District will be supported in some fashion by this effort and that over 450 families each week will receive some type of food assistance as a result. I believe this program is so important, not only for the immediate hunger relief that it provides, but for the long-term impact that I know it will have. To break the cycle of poverty we must provide our kids with a fighting chance to learn. The schools must provide a solid education and the community must provide the necessary resources, including food. How can we expect a student to become educated; to earn a degree or learn a trade, if all they can think about is where their next meal is coming from? Multiple studies have shown that hunger in children leads to not only learning issues but overall and long lasting health issues. Nutrition today equates to a better tomorrow.

Thank you all for the incredible support you provide to this program. Please continue to pray for those students and their families who obtain some much needed help from these back packs. After five years it’s easy to become complacent. These little ones need us more than ever!