By LISA CAPOBIANCO STAFF WRITER Since the Weekend Food Backpack Program formed in 2012 at Bristol Preschool Child Care Center, Inc., the nonprofit has helped an average of 82 out of 156 families a year. After 3- and 4-year-olds came to Bristol Preschool hungry on Monday mornings, the backpack program was born. Bristol Preschool identified that 86 percent of children there were eligible for free/reduced meals in 2012-2013. “We knew we needed to do something to help these families,” said Marilyn Lobaczewski, grant manager and former executive director of Bristol Preschool. From shelf-life milk, cereal and granola bars to pasta and sauce to canned fruit and beef stew, the backpacks are filled with enough food items for the number of family members in each household. Volunteers at Asbury Methodist Church not only store the food items, but they also organize and deliver the backpacks on Fridays for Bristol Preschool families. This year, United Way of West Central Connecticut allocated $5,000 for the backpack program. The program is just one of 31 programs funded by United Way in the areas of education, income and health. Funding began July 1, 2015, and ends June 30, 2018. The backpack program meets United Way’s […]
By LISA CAPOBIANCO STAFF WRITER Since the Weekend Food Backpack Program formed in 2012 at Bristol Preschool Child Care Center, Inc., the nonprofit has helped an average of 82 out of 156 families a year. After 3- and 4-year-olds came to Bristol Preschool hungry on Monday mornings, the backpack program was born. Bristol Preschool identified that 86 percent of children there were eligible for free/reduced meals in 2012-2013. “We knew we needed to do something to help these families,” said Marilyn Lobaczewski, grant manager and former executive director of Bristol Preschool. From shelf-life milk, cereal and granola bars to pasta and sauce to canned fruit and beef stew, the backpacks are filled with enough food items for the number of family members in each household. Volunteers at Asbury Methodist Church not only store the food items, but they also organize and deliver the backpacks on Fridays for Bristol Preschool families. This year, United Way of West Central Connecticut allocated $5,000 for the backpack program. The program is just one of 31 programs funded by United Way in the areas of education, income and health. Funding began July 1, 2015, and ends June 30, 2018. The backpack program meets United Way’s […]