KidPack Program Provides Relief to Local Families

On Thursday night, a handful of members from Golden Valley’s Valley Community Presbyterian Church spent their time organizing bags of food for children at Noble Elementary School.

The food, which was donated by PRISM and packed in bags by M&I Bank employees, is given to children in need through the KidPack program, an effort started by Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Plymouth to ensure that children have food to eat over the weekend.

The KidPack program first started at Zachary Lane Elementary School about two years ago. Since then, it has grown to serve almost every elementary school in ISD 281. Local churches partner with the various schools throughout the Robbinsdale school district and work to provide food to children at the end of every school week.

Virginia Day, a Plymouth resident and Valley Community Presbyterian Church volunteer, is in charge of coordinating the volunteers at her church.  

“I have so many blessings in life,” Day said. “The best response to those blessings is to turn around and serve others.”  

Today, Oct. 5, Day and a few other volunteers will work to handout food at Noble Elementary School. But Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church Director of Missional Opportunities Darvin Kaelberer said that there are about 70 volunteers who donate time to the program.

“The KidPack program provides the weekend staples for families that are in need,” Kaelberer said. “We offer it to all the students at the school. All they have to do is fill out a form and they can receive the food.”

Juice boxes, canned goods and granola bars are some of the items that about 700 children will go home with each weekend. In addition to Valley Community Presbyterian Church, Valley of Peace Lutheran Church will pack food for Noble Elementary School in the next few weeks.

“These two churches have done so much for our school” Jane Byrne, Noble Elementary School principal, said. “The food that we give the children isn’t enough for the entire family, but it’s enough for the child. We know the families really appreciate it.”