Blue Eye School backpack program receives donation from Eastern Star Kimberling Chapter #164

December 14, 2022

Kimberling Chapter #164, in partnership with the Masonic Home of Missouri were proud to present Blue Eye R-V Schools a check for $4,451.10 for their Backpack Program. Worthy Matron, Carol Dreppard along with Worthy Patron, Johnnie Essary, Ed Verrill, Past Patron and Margaret Essary met with Jackie Porter High School Librarian. Carol stated “the Eastern Star has always strived to be a charitable organization. For the past two years Kimberling Chapter has held various fund raisers such as craft and bake sales also sold tickets for handmade quilts which were made by members of the chapter.” She further stated, “the funds collected are sent to the Masonic Home of Missouri who doubled our amount.”

High School Librarian, Jackie Porter explained, “approximately 17 years ago the counseling program at Blue Eye High School noticed the growing crisis of hungry children in our school and community. This was not just an elementary student crisis, it was a problem that was affecting students at all grade levels, kindergarten through twelfth grade. And so, it began the Backpack Weekend Food Program for any student in need regardless of the grade level. Without proper nutrition children aren’t able to grow physically, mentally and academically. Children who come to school hungry tend to struggle with their daily schoolwork because they are worried about when their next meal will be. These are children, who through no fault of their own, rely heavily on the free and reduced lunch and breakfast program at school and may not otherwise have enough to eat while they are away from school. This is where the Backpack Weekend Food Program is able to step in to bridge the hunger gap for these students. Food bags are packed throughout the week with nutritionally sound food for weekend consumption and distributed every Friday. Bags are also distributed during time of extended breaks from school like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and spring breaks as well as anticipating for inclement weather in the wint3er months. We try our best to send home enough food to get the children through until they are back at school. Included in a bag for a typical weekend are 3 dinners, 2 lunches, 2 breakfasts, a few snack type items along with milk and juice. Because of the uncertainty of some of these children’s situations all the food sent home is shelf stable, non-perishable, and easy for the children to prepare. The program is funded entirely by gifts in the form of time, food and monetary donations from the good people of the Tri-Lakes Community. We are very thankful for the great sponsors of the program as it is a program which directly helps some of our most needy students in a way that no one else can. When the program began 17 years ago there were 6 students who received food from the program. Since then, the program has continued to grown as the need has grown.”