Portland Backpack Lunch Program Provides Meals, Needs Volunteers

PORTLAND, OR — While the phrase has become cliché in many ways, it truly does take a village to make some community programs work.

The Portland Backpack Lunch Program, for example, could not function effectively without support from volunteers throughout the community — be they employees at businesses, members of churches, or just simply residents who are willing to give time to a program that benefits children in need.

According to the program's Facebook page, Portland Backpack volunteers distributed more than 12,400 meals for the weekend to 170 low-income schoolchildren during the 2015-2016 school year.

"It's real easy to think food insecurity doesn't happen; it is such an invisible thing, but we know we're doing something that's very necessary," said Diane Rheos, the program's executive director. "And we're only hitting the high-needs children. We know there's more than that."

Now serving more than 200 elementary school students per weekend at three Northeast Portland elementary schools, the Portland Backpack Lunch Program provides kids who might not otherwise have lunches to eat over the weekend with two lunches to take home in their backpacks. The three schools — Woodlawn, King, and Harvey Scott elementary schools — all offer 100 percent free and reduced lunches to their students. The school chooses which students receive the weekend backpack lunches based on need, Rheos said.

"It's pretty heart-wrenching," she said. "For a lot of the kids, (the free school lunches) are their main meal."

Beginning next school year (2017-2018) the program will expand to a fourth school, Rigler Elementary, Rheos said, noting that there are six elementary schools in Northeast Portland that qualify for 100 percent free and reduced lunches. One of those is supported by a backpack lunch program run through Concordia University, Rheos said.

The fourth school being added to the program next year is the next step in the program's expansion, Rheos said. After nine years of growth, Rheos — who took over as director six months ago — is overseeing the program's evolution to an official nonprofit, and expects to continue to add more schools "as long as there's a need."

Volunteers Needed

Created by local philanthropist Marilyn Mauch, the Portland Backpack Lunch Program has been growing steadily as more and more parents admit to struggling to provide their families with basic life essentials. Rising food and housing costs are partly to blame, Rheos said, adding that some kids tell their teachers they add the backpack meals to their family's food supply — so everyone in the household benefits.

In order to provide the lunches, however, the program needs volunteers to donate the food and pack the bags the kids will take home. The program has 30 dedicated volunteers, but to make all the lunches more volunteers are required weekly.

On May 11, members of Portland Townsquared — a national for-profit networking agency that brings together small business owners in local communities for information and resource sharing — combined their annual day of service with their monthly mixer to help Portland Backpack with its weekend lunch packing.

"It's really an easy thing to do," said Townsquared City Manager Stephen Green. "It's not an arduous task to give … (and) small business owners understand they do nothing by themselves."

Green said about 40 Townsquared members signed up to help Thursday, adding that many of those small business owners live in the communities the backpack program supports.

This is not uncommon, Rheos confirmed. Most of the volunteers who help each week come from local organizations that use the opportunity to give as team-building and public service exercises. Additionally, as is often the case with any agency volunteering for the program, Rheos said, the Townsquared members will donate the food they'll use to pack the bags.

"It's about more than food," Rheos explained. "It's about community support."

A couple years ago, the principal at one of the participating Northeast Portland elementary schools told Rheos a story she'll never forget.

A student — a young boy — demanded the principal tell him who packed the backpack lunches he took home for the weekend, Rheos recalled. The boy's father had apparently told the child that no one in this world cares about each other, and that the boy was essentially on his own in life. The boy took his father's words literally, but after receiving a backpack lunch from the program the boy needed answers.

Who was it that cared so much?

"Volunteers come from churches, businesses, private schools — it just goes on and on," Rheos said. "There's nothing better than packing a lunch for a kid you know really needs it."

To get involved, volunteer, or sign up your business to help pack lunches, contact Rheos at 360-790-3248, or email portlandbackpack@gmail.com.

• cans of chili
  
• soup
  
• ravioli with meat sauce
  
• mac & cheese
  
• small juice boxes — 100% juice only, no foil containers
  
• individual size fruit cups
  
• small packages of crackers and cheese, raisins, fruit snacks, and granola bars.

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