Hunger and malnourishment have a bigger impact in Adair County than many people might realize. Unfortunately, children are most vulnerable to this problem, but students at Adair County High School joined the fight against childhood hunger last week with their efforts to collect food for the Adair County Elementary School Backpack Buddies program, which sends bags of food home with students who might not otherwise have access to basic sustenance.
“We just wanted to do something to help kids that might not have that much food at home,” explains ACHS senior Katherine Curry. “We found out about the backpack program and thought we could help them collect food.”
Students in ACHS’ Beta and National Honor Society, 23 in all, collected food for almost a month before delivering a full carload to ACES Friday afternoon. “Our kids made sure to collect food that little kids would be able to fix on their own,” says Beta/NHS co-sponsor Dawn Baker. “It was mostly non-perishable, microwavable food that a third, fourth, or fifth graders could prepare for themselves.”
ACES art teacher Rachel Bardin, who coordinates Backpack Buddies, wishes to thank the high school students for investing their time and – in some cases – money for such a worthy cause.
By Wes Feese
Media Relations, Adair County Schools