There are children in Mount Prospect who are eligible for a free or reduced-priced lunch. There are a number of working families who can’t make ends meet. Although the children in these families may qualify for the free or reduced lunches at school during the week, weekends or holidays their food source is less certain. Hungry children have lower test scores, diminished learning capacity, increased behavior problems and increased tardiness and absences. We can help!
Can a plain back pack show hungry children God’s love and care?
- Yes! – when that back pack is filled with kid friendly food.
- Yes! – when each backpack is reliably waiting to take home each Friday.
- Yes! – when parishioners of all ages come together to help children in need.
MINISTRY UPDATE:
The Backpack Ministry continues to support local food-insecure families. Throughout these last two years of COVID, the Backpack Ministry has been able to prepare 320 boxes of food to deliver to students in Districts 59 and 26 with a skeleton crew of volunteers following all safety precautions. We have been able to purchase all of our food supplies in bulk via Sam’s Club and Aldi to get the best prices available. Special thanks to our generous parish for continuing their donations even during the summer.
The beginning of the 2022-2023 school year will be similar to the previous two in terms of bulk delivery to both districts. Then as the school year progresses, we will continue to check in with school administrators to assess their needs and how best to deliver the goods we procure. At this time, we are only collecting monetary donations or gift cards in order to best serve the families. We are not collecting food donations as we continue to help schools stay as safe as possible.
If you would like to DONATE to the Backpack Ministry to help us purchase supplies, please make a donation through Give Central. We appreciate all of your support–Thanks so much!
