The Food for Thought BakPak Program provides weekend meals and snacks for students in need in Southwest Jefferson County
Students are selected and approved to participate in the program by their parents and the administration at their school. Our Program Coordinator prepares menus and acquires food from Food Bank of the Rockies, grocery stores, and donations. Every Thursday morning, volunteers pack the food indicated on that week’s menu. Other volunteers distribute the bags to participating schools. Participating students then pick up his or her bag on their way out of school for the weekend. This process repeats every week for the entire school year.
A Typical BakPak Menu Includes:
- 2 Breakfast Items
- 2 Lunch Items
- 2 Dinner Items
- 2 Snacks
Personal care items such as shampoo, toothbrush/toothpaste, and body wash are included when available.
In addition to meeting the nutritional needs of children, these programs have led to improved classroom attendance, higher learning retention, and decreased disciplinary incidents. Parental involvement has also increased in participating student’s education and school activities.
This program assists students in 27 schools located in the Southwest Jefferson County area during the school year. In a typical school year, over 200 students receive a BakPak bag each week. The average cost per student per week for 2 days of food is less than $5.00. Each bag weighs about 5 to 7 pounds and is easy for students to carry home.