Food 4 Kids Backpack Program

Many students in Northern Indiana rely on school for their most nutritious or only, meal of the day.  You can help a child focus on learning during the school year instead of focusing on the pangs of hunger.

Since 2006, the Food Bank’s Food 4 Kids Backpack Program has been filling sacks of nutritious food that’s kid-friendly, shelf-stable and ready-to-eat with little or no cooking.  This extra food improves their ability to learn and quality of life.

One in four children in northern Indiana lives in a food insecure household. 

The Food 4 Kids Backpack Program is designed for students in grades K-6 and is free to eligible students.  Participaing schools are identified as having a high rate of children eligible for free/reduced lunch programs.  During the 2019-2020 school year, the Food 4 Kids Backpack Program provided weekend food bags to 2,280 students in schools in Elkhart, LaPorte, Marshall, Starke and St. Joseph Counties.

The Jordan Automotive Group has been the Food 4 Kids Backpack Presenting Sponsor since 2009.

A $150 donation can feed one child for a school year.  

For more information about Food 4 Kids, please contact Cassidy Martenson, programs and experience coordinator, at (574) 232-9986 ext. 127 or cmartenson@feedindiana.org