ForKids Program

What is the FORKids program?

The FORKids program provides elementary-age children with food bags to take home over the weekend so they can arrive at school on Mondays ready to learn, and not focused on hungry stomachs.

How does the FORKids program work?

First, school personnel identify which students could benefit from a weekend food bag (kids who seem to come in hungry after the weekend). Some school districts send a letter home to the families on the Free and Reduced Lunch list. The families then return the letters to the school. The contact person at the school then notifies the FORKids program manager at the Food Bank of the number and ages of the kids who will participate.

The FORKids program manager takes the information and uses it to put together food bags with the help of volunteers at the Food Bank. A volunteer then delivers the bags to the schools. The contact person at the school then discreetly puts the food bags into participating kids' backpacks on Friday afternoons before school lets out.

What kinds of foods are included in FORKids bags?

FORKids bags include about four meals' worth of food to last over the weekend. All of the food items are easy for kids to open and prepare. The types of foods included are as follows:

• Breakfast items, such as hot and cold cereal packets, breakfast bars and shelf-safe milk
• Meal items, such as Cup of Soup, Easy Mac, ravioli cups, and proteins such as beanies and weenies, beef jerky and tuna
• Fruit cups, apple sauce, dried fruit and real fruit juice
• Treats, such as pudding cups, fruit leather, cheese and crackers and cocoa packets

How can I sign my child up to participate in FORKids?

Contact your child's school counselor or principal. (This information is also available as a PDF document, if you would like to print it to post or hand out.).

FORKids Annual Report

You can read more about the recent achievements of the program in this PDF of our report.

Web issues