Our warehouse was bustling last month with more than 100 volunteers who assembled 2,000 Break Bags for distribution to students in need before the Thanksgiving break.

Break Bags are distributed to students who would usually receive reduced-cost lunch and/or breakfast during the school day. During school breaks these students no longer have access to these meals and that’s where Break Bags come in to help fill the gap. Each Break Bag contains kid-friendly snacks and nutritious staples to make a meal for the family, like applesauce, canned soup, and cereal bars.

EFN partners with St. Leo Food Connection and the Clover Park School District to distribute bags to students in Lakewood and Tacoma. We recently heard this story from a counselor at one of the schools that received Break Bags:

“At least three of our students are living out of motels. One is living in a car with two little siblings. Others don’t have food at home. The kids all left with their bags today — joyful. They felt like they were contributing to the family. We kept an open invitation on the wall during conferences and asked every family if they needed help as a part of the conference process. No judgment – many tears because someone bothered to ask. Thank you for the help. Everything makes a difference.”

We’ll be back at it again this month when we prepare more Break Bags for the winter break. Do you or your company want to support the Break Bag Program? Contact our Development Director, Elizabeth Howe, at ElizabethH@efoodnet.org