Archived News
December 2022
Come have some family fun and see Santa and the Grinch. Any donations given go to Food Backpack for Kids to feed hungry children here in Florence and Mapleton. Can’t make it and still want to learn more or donate, go to www.foodbackpackforkids.com/giving
March 2022
Thank you Florence Elks for the donation of $2500 to Food Backpack for Kids.
March 2022
Thank you Windermere for the donation of $550 to Food Backpack for Kids
The Florence Windermere Realty team chose Food Backpack for Kids’ Cargo Van project to donate $933.33 to. Thank you!
Look for Food Backpack for Kids Cargo Van in a neighborhood near you! It’s also parked in the Cross Road Assembly parking lot when not in use delivering food bags to schools or delivering food from local stores to our storage room at Cross Road.
The Siuslaw Elementary School KINDNESS CLUB had a Food Backpack for Kids (FB4K)Fund Raiser on July 20th at the annual Power of Florence event with a Lemonade and Cookie Stand.
Kindness Club student Volunteers, Talia Rose, Melody, and their sponsors, raised $409.30 for the FB4K program!!! ( every hard earned penny will be spent on food!)
FB4K began in 2012 when a small group of church women heard that a local young boy was so hungry on a school year weekend, that he climbed into a dumpster by a restaurant for something to eat!
The women talked to the Siuslaw Elementary School Principal who confirmed that so many students left school every Friday knowing there would be little or nothing to eat at home.
He shared that some kids would place leftover food scraps…uneaten each Friday in the cafeteria…in their backpacks on Fridays…only to return to school Monday so hungry they couldn’t focus on learning.
So the women researched, planned, organized and in October of 2012 implemented the Food Backpack for Kids Program. They delivered individual, nutritional, shelf stable, easily opened foods in plastic bags to the school staff.
Each Friday a school staff member discreetly placed the food bags in the 20 most at risk of weekend hunger kid’s backpacks.
The number of kids in need was so much greater…closer to 70 in Florence and 25 in Mapleton.
Soon the women’s meager money would be spent, so they began to let our local residents know how much our kids needed their support.
Since then…individuals, churches, organizations,
businesses and even young people…like the Kindness Club Kids…have worked hard to donate so every dollar can be spent on food for the kids.
As a result….
Our local community fed 72 students in Florence and 20 in Mapleton during the 2019/2019 school year on weekends!
THANK YOU…everyone with special kudos to the kids in the KINDNESS CLUB from all the devoted Food Backpack for Kids Volunteers!
On Friday, March 07, 2019 the Food Backpack for Kids Endowment was established! Western Lane Community Foundation (WLCF) will our manage our endowment.
WLCF is a perfect fit for us…… both the Foundation and FB4K are birthed right here in Florence!
KXCR radio interview
Our program director Marilyn Barba recently gave an interview to KXCR radio in Florence which aired on August 20th 2018. Have a listen to this wonderful and touching interview to learn more about exactly what our program is about.
May 2018
Food Backpack for Kids’ volunteers are finishing packing the last of the weekly food bags as their 6th year ends with the completion of the school year in June, and would we would like to take the opportunity to introduce the board of Directors and to thank the community for their continued support.
May 2018
Sarah Nunez, 2017/18 Florence PTA Vice President (center), entered the Food Backpack for Kids (FB4K) program to the Oregon State PTA’s consideration for the Program of the Year Award. Sarah serves as an Advisor on the FB4K Board of Directors. CEO, Pastor Dale Edwards and Program Director, Marilyn Barba were honored to accept the Oregon PTA Program of the Year award on behalf of all the Volunteers who make FB4K so successful in erasing weekend hunger for food challenged children in Florence and Mapleton schools.
May 3, 2018
6th Annual appreciation dinner hosted at the Florence Senior Center. This event was a huge success thanking our important sponsors, donors, and volunteers. Visit our Facebook page to see more photos from this event.
May 5, 2017
The Siletz Tribal Charitable Contribution fund awarded the Food Backpack for Kids $2,000. These funds have been used to purchase food for the Siuslaw & Mapleton Food Backpack for Kids weekend food program.