ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. – We first told you about Blessings in a Backpack Avondale several months ago.
Original Story: Non-profit Blessings in a Backpack provides food for Avondale students in need
They operate out of a building in Rochester Hills providing meals to students over the weekend so they don’t go without food. Now, the organization needs your help. It’s times like these when their services are needed more than ever. Blessings in a Backpack Avondale is still providing meals for students while school is out for the year.
"It's important to me because these are our neighbors,” said Blessings in a Backpack Avondale chair, Janelle Tischer. “These are families who are streets over from us who have now found themselves in a situation where they may not be able to feed their kids. What we've seen in the past six weeks is our needs for the program have quadrupled."
In November we showed you the system the non-profit has in place. Volunteers pack these grocery bags with food. Those bags are then placed in the backpacks of students who need the meals every Friday heading in to the weekend.
"It could very well be that families six weeks ago who could provide food for their kids are now finding themselves furloughed or no longer having jobs or no incomes," said Tischer.
Now with social distancing measures in place for packing the bags, Tischer has had to make adjustments as to how they get the food to students as well.
"Everyone has to wear masks as well as gloves and during the food pickups it's a similar approach in terms of masks and gloves and keeping six feet apart."
Blessings in a Backpack Avondale had previously been providing meals for 350 children a week. As of right now they're hoping to be able to provide for 700 children which is only half of the need right now. They hope to keep the food distribution going through what would have been the end of the school year, June 12.
"We can use food donations. Many of the items you would feed your own family! Beef ravioli, macaroni and cheese, canned fruit, canned vegetables. From a financial aspect we are certainly looking for donations," she added.
For more information on how you can help by even just volunteering your time packing the bags, please visit: http://www.blessingsinabackpackmi.org/