Check presentation held at Foodbank
Davenport, IA– On August 18th, Gretchen Mohr of Long Grove, IA and Stephen J. Brady STOP Hunger Regional Honoree, presented River Bend Foodbank with a check for $1,000. This money will help sponsor children on the Backpack Program for the 2014-2015 school year.
Gretchen is a sophomore at St. Louis University and attended North Scott High School. She is very passionate about fighting hunger and malnutrition. "I am grateful for this opportunity to assist with the worthwhile work that the River Bend Foodbank is doing, along with their sponsors, to help fight hunger in the Quad Cities through the Backpack Program," said Gretchen. As a Stephen J. Brady STOP Hunger Regional Honoree, Gretchen received a $1,000 grant for the hunger-related charity of her choice.
Caren Laughlin, River Bend Foodbank Marketing Director and Backpack Program Coordinator, said, "This is an incredibly wonderful donation by Gretchen and we are so thrilled that she chose the River Bend Foodbank Backpack Program as her charity of choice."
The Backpack Program provides children at risk of hunger with nourishing food to take home on Fridays to get them through the weekend when programs like school breakfasts and lunches are not available. The Backpack Program targets pre-school, elementary and middle school children who are at risk of chronic hunger. These children are identified by name by their school staff. Each child receives a weekly food pack on Fridays to put in their Backpacks and take home for the weekend. The food is child friendly, easily consumed and vitamin fortified. The bags contain about eight items and include two "entrees" like stew or soup, two servings of fruit, cereal, milk, and juice. We partner with the schools to select the children and distribute the food. Currently we are serving 43 schools and 1,700 of the neediest children in the Quad Cities.
The Stephen J. Brady Stop Hunger Scholarship is named for the Sodexo Foundation's founder and former president, who was an unstoppable champion in the fight to end hunger. Thanks to Steve's efforts, which made these scholarships possible, an emerging generation of leaders will be cultivated in the fight against hunger.
###
