Midwest Food Bank Arizona is grateful for the support of Thunderbirds Charities for our Backpack Program (called “Hope Packs”). These Hope Packs are provided to students who typically receive free breakfast and lunch at school, yet are faced with little to no food over the weekend. Hope Packs include five core items: an individual warm meal (ravioli, mac-n-cheese), a breakfast meal, fruit, a granola bar, and a snack (fruit snacks, cookie). Midwest Food Bank will leverage donated food that is child-friendly and shelf-stable, and will use the funding to purchase food items, as needed.
“An estimated 1 in 4 children in Arizona are food insecure. These children face adverse physical health, poor emotional well-being, and academic setbacks. These Hope Packs help to overcome those challenges by providing children with nutritious food to eat over the weekend,” says Merilee Baptiste, Executive Director of Midwest Food Bank – Arizona Division.
This grant is part of the Spring 2022 cycle. View a list of all Recent Grantees.