From Lynne Kleven 

Monroe

To the Editor:

Back in 2015 a small community group decided to provide weekend food for needy students at Parkside Elementary. With the help of staff, 30 students were identified and received a variety of non-perishable food items at the end of each week to help get them through the weekend. In 2018 the program, Backpack Buddies, expanded to the entire Monroe School District and currently serves 119 children ages 1 to 18. It requires a team of volunteers to inventory items, order food, transport food, unpackage items, count food items into bags, count bags into transport bins, and transport those food bins to 5 schools each week. District staff provide a running list of students in need, provide coded (for confidentiality) bag stickers, and deliver the bags to classrooms.  All food is purchased from donations which are kept in a District account.

The funds, however, have run dry. This program runs entirely on donations (no school district funds), but due to lack of funds its future is uncertain.  Thank you to all the community members and businesses that have generously donated to the program in the past! We are looking for donors and every amount helps towards the roughly $2,900/month food costs. If you would like to support this program, your check payable to School District of Monroe with “Backpack Buddy Program” in the memo section can be sent to: District Administrative Center, 925 16th Ave. Suite 3, Monroe, WI 53566. Thank you to all the volunteers and donors!