SINCLAIRVILLE, N.Y. — Thousands of students across the area get nutritious meals on the weekends thanks to FeedMore Western New York's backpack program.
"We're just hoping that this can help families make it through a difficulty," Superintendent Chuck Leichner said. "It's not getting better for families. It's just we are concerned for them, and I think that this helps to kind of stem the tide."
Leichner, with Cassadaga Valley Central Schools, says the need for nutritious food in his community is growing especially since the pandemic hit.
"In a small, rural school district that's financially underprivileged, I think would be fair to say, we've always struggled with food insecurity, but I think the pandemic just really amped that up. It became something that was on the front burner for us, and families struggled during that time," Leichner said.
So something like FeedMore Western New York's backpack program has really been a lifeline for families here and all across the four counties FeedMore serves.
"So many people that we serve live paycheck to paycheck as it is, and they're facing really tough choices. Do I put food on the table or gas in my car so I can get to my job and earn my paycheck? Do I put food on the table, or do I fill my prescription this month? There's a lot of challenges that people are facing," FeedMore Western New York's Catherine Shick said.
Some 4,000 children a year are helped by it and are given food to take home in their backpacks each weekend.
"And it's not just the kids, it's meals for the whole family," 2 On Your Side's Kelly Dudzik said.
Leichner responded: "It is. They take it home. They get a backpack full and on Friday, they take it home with them for the weekend. It's really been great."
Added Shick: "Some of those items could be a peanut butter backpack, a tuna fish backpack, a shelf-stable chicken back, just to name those options. But it's also filled with items like shelf-stable milk or 100 percent juice."
Leichner's district is able to get more than 300 meals a weekend on the table through the backpack program. Some high schools and colleges even have pantry programs where students can choose the food they take home for their families.
"How appreciative are the families that you've talked to?" Dudzik asked.
Leichner responded: "They have a hard time putting it into words. We've actually had kids who've said thank you so much for the food because we would have not had any this weekend had it not been for the backpack program. And parents who've reached out to us have said, you know, what a difference it makes for them. The pressure it takes off and statements like please keep providing the backpack program because it's just made an impact."
FeedMore says more schools can sign up at any time, so if you would like to get your school to sign up, just talk with your school principal.
"It's really interesting to think about the fact that these little kids are kind of packed up and bringing something home for the family, so it's great. Our staff has been outstanding in supporting those kids and helping to communicate that and getting everything ready to go. So it's a joy. When they walk out the door and you know they've got something for everyone, it's pretty cool," Leichner said.