Students at three local elementary schools will receive backpacks of food thanks to a grant recently received from the Norbert H. Hardner Foundation. A $17,280 grant will provide nourishing food to 123 students for 32 weekends at Waterford Elementary, Robison Elementary and Mill Village Elementary in the Fort LeBoeuf School District. Each backpack contains food for two breakfasts, two lunches, two dinners and two snacks, and provide proper nutrition for overall growth, physical and cognitive development. In total, the Norbert H. Hardner Foundation grant will fund 3,936 backpacks for these students during the 2015-2016 academic year.

*Pictured: Karen S. Seggi, Second Harvest Food Bank of NWPA, left, and Dr. Rebecca Haverly, Norbert H. Hardner Foundation, right.

 

“Having access to adequate food is an unfortunate challenge that children in our area face every day,” said Karen Seggi, executive director of the Second Harvest Food Bank. “This grant from the Norbert H. Hardner Foundation will help to maintain a program that directly impacts students by providing them with the building blocks of good nutrition.”

“I hate to see any child go hungry, especially in our own community” said Rebecca Haverly, an officer at the Norbert H. Hardner Foundation. “The Norbert H. Hardner Foundation hopes that this grant will help provide a brighter future for our children.”

The BackPack Program provides needy children with nutritious, child-friendly food when other resources, such as school lunches and after-school meals or snacks, are not available. Backpacks are discreetly distributed to participating children at community centers or schools on Fridays and before holidays. Second Harvest operates 30 of the more than 2,200 BackPack sites throughout the United States. In total, Second Harvest distributes backpacks in five counties, eight school districts and 2,028 children each week. It is anticipated that nearly 65,000 backpacks will be distributed during the 2015-2016 academic year.

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