Schools report spike in need

Several schools in the Catawba County Schools system have implemented the Backpacks for Kids program. This year, however, the need for the program has increased as the economy has worsened.

Catawba Elementary was the first school to implement the program, in March 2008. Other schools followed suit, including Balls Creek, Banoak, Maiden, Murray, Oxford, St. Stephens, Snow Creek and Tuttle elementaries, as well as River Bend Middle School.

Parents at the school sign up for the program, although some families are suggested for it based on teacher recommendations. The program is designed for families who may need a little extra help feeding their children. Most schools get their food donated to them through community members, churches or school food drives.

Students get a backpack full of food on Friday afternoons. On Mondays, the students are expected to bring the backpacks back to school.

Lyle Creek Elementary implemented the program this year. Assistant Principal Kimberly Yancy said the decision to start the program was easy.

"When you're on bus duty and you hear a child say, 'I'm hungry. I haven't eaten since I left here on Friday,' that sends the message that we need to do something," she said. "We want them to feel safe and secure here. We know we have to take care of these kids while they're here."

Students receive food for breakfast, two lunches and two dinners, Yancy said. They get items like tuna fish, Vienna sausages, cereal, macaroni and cheese, SpaghettiO's, granola bars, peanut butter and canned fruits and vegetables — things students can easily open and cook themselves.

Lyle Creek started its program in September, helping 12 students. It has grown to help 29 children. St. Peters Lutheran Church fills the backpacks with food on Wednesdays, brings them back to the school on Thursdays and the students pick them up from a designated classroom on Fridays, Yancy said. The students know if they don't bring the backpacks back on Mondays or Tuesdays, they won't get food in their backpacks that week.

"It teaches them responsibility, too," she said.

Yancy said the entire program has been a benefit to the school.

She said some students have also come off the Backpack program this year, as their parents' economic situation has improved.

"It lets us know that the families aren't abusing the system," Yancy said.

Balls Creek Elementary started its program in March. At the end of that school year, 18 students had participated. Now, backpacks go home with 58 students in all grades, and serve about 85 to 90 students, because many of the backpacks go to homes with siblings, said Lisa Thompson, principal of Balls Creek Elementary. She thinks the bad economy is the cause of the spike in more students using the program.

"We sent out a paper at the beginning of the year, asking who would like to participate," Thompson said. "The form has their name and how many children that need the food. If they request the food, they'll get it."

Balls Creek receives its food primarily from Mount Ruhama Baptist and Hopewell United Methodist churches, which pack the backpacks for the students, Thompson said.

At Catawba Elementary, the school had about 40 students in its first year, and more than 65 students at the start of its second year. This year, about 100 students are signed up, said Faye Williams, the school secretary. That's about as many as the school can manage.

Each backpack is marked with a number to keep it confidential, Williams said. The students get the same backpack each week, so they know which backpack is theirs. They are delivered to the students' classrooms on Fridays, she said.

Banoak Elementary is implementing the program for the first time this year, said Principal Dyanne Sherrill.

"I worked for the program at Sweetwater, and I talked to the staff to see if there was a need here, and saw that there was," she said.

Sixteen families receive backpacks on Fridays, serving about 20 students. That number's up slightly from the start of the year, Sherrill said.

Students get their backpacks from the office on Fridays, and are told not to open it before they get home so they won't share the food with others.

Banoak Elementary receives its donations from Honey's IGA Supermarket, area churches, Sherrill's sorority and, recently, Chick-fil-A expressed interest in helping in December.

"The community has been very supportive, especially with the economy the way it is," Sherrill said.

Those who would like to donate food items or money for the Backpacks for Kids program may contact the individual schools.

Newton-Conover City Schools' elementary schools — Thornton, South Newton and Shuford — also participate, as do Hickory Public Schools' elementary schools. To donate to Newton-Conover City Schools' programs, contact their individual schools. To donate to Hickory Public Schools' Backpack Program, contact the Service League of Hickory at 324-0201.