More than 900
Mankato-area students receive weekend food packs through the BackPack Food
Program to reduce hunger and ensure they’re ready to learn when they get back
to school. Mayo Clinic Health System has been partnering with the program for
the past three years, donating time and dollars to support this important
initiative.
“We are
incredibly grateful for the ongoing commitment of Mayo Clinic Health System,”
said Sheri Sander-Silva, executive director of Feeding Our Communities
Partners. “It's rare and wonderful to find a partner that is willing to offer
support on so many levels. Mayo Clinic Health System employees volunteer for
monthly food packing sessions and have adopted a school as a weekly distribution
team. They also provide financial contributions that allow for the purchase of
nutritional food items. Each component is integral to the success of the
BackPack Food Program and our ability to feed hungry tummies.”
Mayo Clinic
Health System has been the primary financial contributor to the Winter Feed
& Read program by providing $5,000 to purchase perishable food items for
the long holiday break. This is a special winter break pack to get kids through
the long holiday break and includes healthy perishable items like milk, bread
and cheese sticks. Mayo Clinic Health System employee volunteers spend two days
at BackPack Central giving out these winter break packs to families on the
program.
In addition,
Mayo Clinic Health System has ongoing monthly volunteer opportunities with the
program. The organization has adopted Washington Elementary School, which means
each week when the food packs are delivered, volunteers from Mayo Clinic Health
System head to Washington Elementary to distribute the food packs to the
children’s classrooms. There are also 10 volunteers each month who help to pack
the food packs and get them ready for distribution.
Overall,
around 80 individuals from Mayo Clinic Health System volunteer their time to
the BackPack Food Program on an annual basis.