MONROE - Volunteers at Parkside Elementary gathered on Thursday to provide food for more than 100 elementary and high school students throughout Monroe.
Initiated last October, the Backpack Buddies program identifies children in need and provides them with simple food items each week.
"We noticed some students were saving parts of their breakfast and lunch to bring home to eat later," said Samantha Kubly, coordinator of the program. "And we realized something wasn't right."
Kubly, the school nurse at Parkside, said teachers and counselors can identify disadvantaged students by observing them or talking with their parents and recommend them to the program. Currently, 110 students from 41 families are receiving aid from the program.
Data from the Wisconsin Department of Public Education revealed that 41.5 percent of Monroe students lived below the poverty line during the 2014-2015 school year. Parkside Elementary had a 60 percent poverty rate last year.
The program receives food donations from individuals and businesses in the community each week. Volunteers from the Monroe Bible Church help pack the food into bags and the participants' backpacks, which are delivered to the students each Friday.
Bags are only labeled with participants' initials, to maintain the privacy of the families, Kubly said.
Although additional steps must be taken to ensure the anonymity of older students for fear of social stigma, younger students seem to develop friendships and empathy for people in similar circumstances, Kubly said.
"We've even seen some students recommend classmates to the program," Kubly said. "So they're learning to think about other people as well as themselves."
The food provided each week include fresh fruit (provided by the Green County Food Pantry), cereal, granola bars, crackers, instant oatmeal and canned food. Kubly said it was important that younger students whose parents work late are still able to access and prepare the food they receive.
Kubly added that the program was considering including hygiene supplies in the bags, but these would likely be in the form of vouchers, as cleaning agents can be dangerous for young children to handle. On Christmas, students were given hats and mittens, while they received candy on Halloween.
"The kids send out homemade thank-you cards to donors," Kubly said. "They know they have people looking out for them."
The program is entirely funded through donations from the community, Kubly said. No district funds are used to obtain the food or bags.
Groups such as the Monroe Lions Club and Thrivent Financial have provided significant financial assistance to the program, but individuals can assist as well. Donations can be sent to Parkside Elementary at 920 4th St.
"We're trying to give hope to families who need it," Kubly said.
Initiated last October, the Backpack Buddies program identifies children in need and provides them with simple food items each week.
"We noticed some students were saving parts of their breakfast and lunch to bring home to eat later," said Samantha Kubly, coordinator of the program. "And we realized something wasn't right."
Kubly, the school nurse at Parkside, said teachers and counselors can identify disadvantaged students by observing them or talking with their parents and recommend them to the program. Currently, 110 students from 41 families are receiving aid from the program.
Data from the Wisconsin Department of Public Education revealed that 41.5 percent of Monroe students lived below the poverty line during the 2014-2015 school year. Parkside Elementary had a 60 percent poverty rate last year.
The program receives food donations from individuals and businesses in the community each week. Volunteers from the Monroe Bible Church help pack the food into bags and the participants' backpacks, which are delivered to the students each Friday.
Bags are only labeled with participants' initials, to maintain the privacy of the families, Kubly said.
Although additional steps must be taken to ensure the anonymity of older students for fear of social stigma, younger students seem to develop friendships and empathy for people in similar circumstances, Kubly said.
"We've even seen some students recommend classmates to the program," Kubly said. "So they're learning to think about other people as well as themselves."
The food provided each week include fresh fruit (provided by the Green County Food Pantry), cereal, granola bars, crackers, instant oatmeal and canned food. Kubly said it was important that younger students whose parents work late are still able to access and prepare the food they receive.
Kubly added that the program was considering including hygiene supplies in the bags, but these would likely be in the form of vouchers, as cleaning agents can be dangerous for young children to handle. On Christmas, students were given hats and mittens, while they received candy on Halloween.
"The kids send out homemade thank-you cards to donors," Kubly said. "They know they have people looking out for them."
The program is entirely funded through donations from the community, Kubly said. No district funds are used to obtain the food or bags.
Groups such as the Monroe Lions Club and Thrivent Financial have provided significant financial assistance to the program, but individuals can assist as well. Donations can be sent to Parkside Elementary at 920 4th St.
"We're trying to give hope to families who need it," Kubly said.