Welcome to the Bernards Township Food 4 Kids Drive! Together, as a community, we’re ensuring that every child in need has the nourishment necessary to thrive. With your support, we can provide a full year of weekend meals for local children, bringing comfort, hope, and a brighter future to our young neighbors.
Let’s Show the Power of Bernards Township Pride and Generosity!
Thanks to Our Sponsors
Why it Matters
Every child deserves to thrive, yet many kids in our community face food insecurity. By coming together, we can provide healthy, nutritious meals to sustain them when school-provided meals aren’t available.
How You Can Help
This initiative is powered by the strength of our community, with support from mothers’ groups, high school students, business leaders, local political leaders, religious organizations, and traditional food drive partners. Together, we’re mobilizing to make a meaningful impact for kids in need.
Backpack Program Overview
The Backpack Program began as a nationwide initiative to help provide supplemental food assistance to school students facing food insecurity on weekends. Food4Kids supports the development and operation of Backpack Programs in local communities to ensure children have access to nutritious food when school meals are not available.
School students from Pre-School through Elementary grades who meet federal eligibility requirements for free school meals are able to participate. Students receive a supplemental food package each week during the school year, with special arrangements possible for summer distribution. Many at-risk children who receive free school meals are left without the nutrition they need on weekends. By providing children with a package of food each Friday, they return to school on Mondays better equipped to learn.
Children are given one-gallon sized zip lock bags filled with child-friendly, easy-to-open and prepare foods that do not require refrigeration or stove top cooking. The foods are both “open and eat” or “microwave and eat.”
Each Backpack bag typically contains six or seven food items depending on availability. Example items include 3 oz. cans or pouches of tuna or chicken salad, instant oatmeal packets, small boxes of cereal, canned pasta, peanut butter and jelly packs, fruit cups, microwaveable mac & cheese, granola bars, shelf-stable milk, and boxed fruit juice. The bags are packed by volunteers and delivered to schools.
This program is available at no cost to the recipients. Participating schools sign an agreement with Food4Kids or the local program operator. School administrators or nurses are responsible for confirming eligibility and obtaining signed permission slips from parents or guardians. Schools regularly report the number of packages needed each week.
Food4Kids continues to work with communities and schools to ensure that Backpack Programs are accessible to every child who needs them.
Let’s Show the Power of Bernards Township Pride and Generosity!
Click below to make your contribution. Together, we can help feed local kids in need and make a lasting impact in our community.