Judy Kramer
County Reporter
One of the programs supported by the Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri is the Buddy Pack Program. Buddy Packs are discreet backpacks given out to school children on Fridays or the day before a holiday during the school year. For many Buddy Pack students this is their sole opportunity for food at home. Warsaw’s Sonic Drive In is donating a quarter of total sales of its Wacky Pack Kids Meal to the program during the month of October.
The Wacky Pack meal includes a choice of a chicken strip, Wacky Pack burger or corn dog with sides and drinks.
“The Buddy Pack program helps children who are not in a position to help themselves,” said Darren White, Regional Manager for the Food Bank. “We believe that the Buddy Pack program reduces child food insecurity which in turn promotes improved classroom behavior and academic performance. Hungry children are in no way prepared to learn! If a child can stay in school, he or she has a better chance to break the cycle of poverty.”
Throughout the Food Bank’s 32 county service area it is currently serving over 6,000 children each week at more than 150 schools. It is currently serving 148 children in Benton County at elementary schools in Cole Camp, Lincoln and Warsaw, plus John Boise Middle School and Warsaw High School. The Food Bank also provides food to the Benton County Food Pantry, the Cole Camp and Warsaw Senior Centers and Katy Trail Mobile Pantry.
The Buddy Pack program started in 2003 in five schools in three counties. The Food Bank also does Vet packs – boxes with food and hygiene, once a month in 13 counties. These are delivered to 25 to 40 veterans in the county. Senior boxes are also delivered to partners for distribution in the county.
The Food Bank provides free food to its 145 partners throughout its region, who distribute it locally to food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, senior centers and more. According to the organization’s web site it uses bulk-purchasing power, community partnerships and its association with Feeding America to obtain more than 30 million pounds of food a year. Information provided by White states that a donation of $15 to the Food Bank provides at least 100 meals and a donation of $270 provides a Buddy Pack to one student for each weekend of the school year. Donations are accepted online at sharefoodbringhope.org. or to Buddy Pack Program by mailing a check payable to the Food Bank, with “Benton County Buddy Pack” in the memo, to Hawthorn Bank, Attn: Carmen Mantonya, P.O. Box 217, Warsaw 65355.
Sonic Drive In’s manager said that the business does a lot of fundraisers for the local community including a recent one for a UPS driver whose wife had cancer. Sonic sold discount cards and provided the profits to the driver and his family. A Thank You Teacher drawing was held on September 6th, and two teachers won a series of free Sonic drinks and Walmart gift cards. More recently, students from two elementary schools also won free Sonic drinks and Walmart cards.
