Packing A Lunch will Help Feed Some Guilford County Children

This week, consider skipping one meal in a restaurant to help fill the belly of a hungry child in Guilford County.

BackPack Beginnings is launching the Give Back/Pack Lunch campaign. Founder and executive director Parker White says for the average cost of eating one meal out, a child can be fed an entire weekend. “It only takes $5 to feed a child on Saturday and on Sunday. They will get nutritious items so when they come back to school Monday, they are ready to learn," explains White. "When their bodies have been fed, their minds are open and ready to retain the information they learn at school. Then there's a chance to break the cycle of poverty going on in their own family.”

According to the Guilford County School System, about 41,000 children qualify for free or reduced price meals. But during the weekends, these same hungry children have little to eat. Since 2010, BackPack Beginnings has worked with the county's school system to give children backpacks filled with nutritious meals. This year, they plan to help nearly 1,000 youngsters in 20 Guilford County schools. The group also provides Comfort Backpacks to children rescued from traumatic situations.

The Give Back/Pack Lunch campaign runs through Friday, September 20. Also, businesses are encouraged to match what their employees give.  September is National Hunger Awareness Month.