BackPack Program Overview - Foodlink

BackPack Program Overview Many children in our community get their breakfast and lunch at school at a reduced price or for free. But when school is closed on weekends and holidays, many of these children go hungry. TM

The BackPack Program from Foodlink provides children in need with bags of nutritious food they can take home and easily prepare on their own. Why the BackPack Program? Good nutrition is critical to good health and success at school. Children who don’t get enough to eat often have:  Trouble concentrating  Lower math and English scores  Difficulty interacting with peers  Trouble finishing tests on time  Lower graduation rates Children participating in the BackPack Program during the 2011-2012 school year showed improvement in their energy levels and ability to concentrate, as well as a reduction in food insecure behavior such as asking for seconds or stealing food. What is in the BackPacks? Items in the packs are:  Kid-friendly  Individually packaged, or small and light enough to carry  Shelf-stable  Easy to prepare, even without a stove or other equipment  Nutritious Each BackPack bag weighs about 5-6 pounds and comes in a plastic grocery bag. The menu for each week’s bag includes 1-2 items from each of the food groups:  Fruits  Vegetables  Dairy  Grain  Protein  One “meal” item such as macaroni and cheese or soup  Snacks

For food to be included in a BackPack bag, it is required to meet certain nutrition standards. Items must be low in sodium, sugar, and saturated fat, and high in fiber and protein (when possible). Program Costs The full cost of each BackPack is approximately $3.00-$4.00. The cost varies monthly as different items are purchased. This amounts to less than $160 per child over the course of the school year. In order to contribute to program sustainability, sites can seek out their own funding sources through private donations, fundraisers, or grants. Foodlink works to identify grants and donations to subsidize the cost of the program. For assistance with fundraising or for promotional materials, contact the BackPack Program coordinator. Program Application All sites must submit a program application and agreement every year to be considered for the BackPack Program and opportunities for funding assistance. The BackPack site application and included paperwork must be reviewed and signed by the site coordinator and returned to Foodlink by the application deadline. This deadline is typically at the end of the prior school year for fall applications. 501c3 Partners All BackPack sites must have a non-profit 501c3 partner for tax and billing purposes. This may be a local church, Parent Teacher Organization, food pantry, or other agency. This organization acts as a financial liaison between the school and Foodlink, and all payments must come from an organization check. This does not mean that the 501c3 organization will pay for the program, though they may also be a financial sponsor. 501c3 partners often provide storage space, volunteers, or funding for the BackPack Program. Example: Rural School District partners with a local 501c3 organization, Rural Food Pantry, for their BackPack Program. The Food Pantry does not provide any financial support for the BackPack Program, but the food is delivered and stored there. Volunteers from the Food Pantry help deliver the bags to the elementary school for distribution on Fridays. Rural School District, with help from a local bank, provides the funding for the program, but checks must come from the 501c3 organization. The district writes a check to the Food Pantry, and the Food Pantry writes a check to Foodlink. Example: Suburban School District partners with their own Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) for their BackPack Program. The bags are stored at the school and the school nurse runs the program, but the PTO pays for the program in full. Because they are a 501c3 organization, they write the checks to Foodlink out of their own funding. If you need help identifying potential 501c3 partners, or if you don’t know if an organization is a 501c3, please contact the BackPack Program Coordinator or use the Exempt Organization Select Check Tool at www.irs.gov. 2|Page

Site Coordinator The Site Coordinator is the individual who manages the program for the school or school district and acts as a liaison between the school, the 501c3 partner, and Foodlink. He or she handles all paperwork and communication for the program, and ensures that the program runs smoothly, children are identified properly, and packs are distributed confidentially. This person may work in the school (i.e. school social worker or nurse) or be associated with the 501c3 partner (i.e. volunteer or paid employee).

How to Identify Children who May Need the BackPack Program Child Referrals: Children are eligible to receive food through the BackPack Program once site staff fill out a referral form. Referral forms should be distributed to teachers, social workers, and school nurses who may recognize the risk factors listed below. When referrals are received, they must be kept in a central, confidential location. Guidelines for Referral Any child with multiple risk factors, as listed below, should be considered to receive food through the BackPack Program Food insecure behavior that indicates need:  Rushing food lines  Extreme hunger on Monday morning  Eating all of the food served and lingering around for or asking for seconds  Comments about not having enough food at home Physical appearance that indicates need:  Extreme thinness  Puffy, swollen skin  Chronically dry, cracked lips  Chronically dry, itchy eyes  Brittle, spoon-shaped nails School performance that indicates need:  Excessive absences and/or tardiness  Repetition of a grade  Chronic sickness  Short attention span/inability to concentrate  Chronic behavior that leads to disciplinary action Home environment that indicates need:  Often cooks own meal or has a sibling who does  Moves frequently  Often spends the night away from home  Loss of income or family crisis 3|Page

Staff Awareness: Make sure school staff are aware of the program. Ask for their help in identifying children who would benefit from the program. Make the BackPack Referral form available to all staff, but stress that teachers should only refer students who are hungry on a consistent basis. Annual BackPack training sessions will be conducted prior to the start of the school year for all site coordinators and any other interested parties. Identification of food insecure children will be discussed. Program Enrollment Parental Consent Before a child may participate in the BackPack Program, his or her parent or guardian must be sent a letter explaining the program, including that the program is optional. They must consent— verbally or in writing— for their child to participate by completing and returning an enrollment form, provided during BackPack Program Training.

Distribution Logistics Bag Contents Each BackPack bag will weigh about 5-6 pounds and will contain 1-2 items from each food group, in addition to some “meal” items.  Most of the food used for the BackPack Program is donated from manufacturers or purchased in bulk by Foodlink. Volunteers at Foodlink sort the food into bags to ensure that it fits the requirements of the program and is safe to consume.  Please be aware that when Foodlink receives donations from manufacturers and distributors, items may be near or past their “USE BY” or “BEST IF USED BY” date. These dates refer to the last date that the product is likely to be at peak flavor and quality; it doesn’t mean the food is unsafe after that date. In general, these items are still of acceptable quality up to one year from this date. For the purpose of the BackPack Program, we may use food up to 6 months past this date. Please know that Foodlink only sends out food that is safe for human consumption.  BackPack programs may supplement Foodlink’s packs with additional purchased or donated food. However, Foodlink is not responsible for the safety of this food. Bag Storage An important component of starting a BackPack Program is to ensure that you have a place to safely store the food. This is where the deliveries will be made. It may be on-site (at the school) or in another location that will be made accessible to the site for distribution (for example, if a local church acts as the 501c3 organization, they may also act as the delivery and storage location). Storage Guidelines:  Packs must be stored 6 inches off the floor, 4 inches away from an outside wall, in an area that is clean, dry, and free of pests.  Food must be stored 4-6 feet away from non-food items such as cleaning supplies.  This location should be locked and secure. 4|Page

Weekly Distribution Methods The site coordinator will arrange for the delivery of packs each week to their site. Packs should be distributed as follows:  One pack every Friday during the school year.  Two packs prior to the Thanksgiving, winter, and spring breaks.  The method of distribution in your school must guarantee the confidentiality of all participants. Please use your judgment to determine the best distribution method. At some school sites, children pick up packs at a central location. At other sites, teachers place the packs in the child’s backpack while the class is not in the room. Children may not be called down via loudspeaker to receive their packs.

Planning Use this section to identify questions about the BackPack Program, and to begin planning for your own program. Identifying a 501c3 Partner Details and Requirements A 501c3 partner must be involved with the BackPack Program for tax and billing purposes This may be a PTO, church, food pantry, etc. The partner organization handles all billing and may provide volunteers or funding.

Questions What local organizations might be interested in partnering with the BackPack Program? Is the organization a 501c3 (visit www.irs.gov to find out)? Who is the contact person for that organization? Are they able to provide funding or volunteers?

Notes

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Identifying Children for the Program Details and Requirements Children are eligible to receive food through the BackPack Program once school staff have completed a referral form. Referral forms must identify multiple risk factors for food insecurity. Referral forms must be kept confidential. Children should be referred to the program if they are chronically hungry.

Questions

Notes

Who will be in charge of identifying children for the BackPack Program? How will we identify children in need of the program? What if a child’s parents do not give consent to participate? Where will referral forms be maintained? How many children should we enroll in the program?

Receiving and Storing Food Packs Details and Requirements Packs will be delivered in foldable cardboard boxes. After use, boxes must be folded up and left for the driver to be returned to Foodlink at the time of next delivery. Packs must be stored 6 inches off the floor, 4 inches away from an outside wall, in an area that is dry and free of infestation. This location must be locked and secure. Packed cases should arrive at your site ready for distribution. However, it is always a good idea to do a scan of the packs to ensure that there are enough and are in good condition.

Questions to Consider

Planning Notes

Where should the packs be dropped off? Where will they be stored? Who needs to be made aware of the delivery day so the packs can be put away? Who will be in charge of reviewing the packs before they are distributed to the children? If there are any problems (not enough packs, packs with punctured juice boxes, etc.), what is the procedure for communicating to the Site Coordinator and Foodlink staff?

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Distributing Food Packs Details and Requirements Packs should be distributed weekly to children at participating schools. Confidentiality of participants must be ensured. The preferred distribution method is for packs to be slipped into child’s backpack while students are out of the room. Another option is to have students stop at the guidance or nurses office at the end of the day on Friday (without being called down to the office).

Questions to Consider

Planning Notes

How will packs be transported to each site from the main storage area? What is the best way to get the packs to participants confidentially? What will the process be for getting two packs to children before breaks longer than 3 days? If school is closed Friday (planned or due to weather), how will you ensure children get packs? How will you ensure packs are only going to enrolled children?

For more information about the BackPack Program, contact Foodlink’s BackPack Program Coordinator: Larkin Kimmerer, Community Nutrition Programs Manager Foodlink 1999 Mt. Read Blvd. Rochester, NY 14615 Phone: (585) 328-3380 ext. 154 Fax: (585) 328-9951 Attn: BackPack Program Email: [email protected]

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