Meals in a Backpack Campaign entering last week of drive

In 2018 over 1,290 children in Taylor County received free or reduced-price meals. For many of these children, school meals may be the only meals they eat. What happens when they go home over the weekend?

The answer to that question is the goal of the United Way of Taylor County’s Meals in a Backpack Campaign. The group with the help of area businesses and individuals is collecting food items that will be placed in backpacks and given to students in need so that they have food over the weekends and school breaks.

The drive has been seeking donations of the following items: Backpacks; grocery store gift cards (County Market and Walmart), cereal, oatmeal, fruit cups, applesauce cups, juice boxes, cans of vegetables, snack bars (granola bars, fruit bars, breakfast bars, etc.), cans of soup, peanut butter and jelly, rice products, macaroni and cheese, spaghetti noodles and spaghetti sauces.

The Meals in a Backpack Campaign is entering its final week and is making a push for donations at participating area businesses and churches.

The backpacks are packed by the SOAR students which provides them with a learning experience and service to their community. The SOAR Program is for students with special needs between the ages of 18-21. This is a unique opportunity to maximize the community’s resources.

Items may be dropped of at the following locations Associated Bank, Prevail Bank, Boarders Inn & Suites, Medford County Market, Wadal Plastics, Enerquip LLC , Klinner Insurance, AbbyBank, In Stiches and Ink, C21 Dairyland Realty, Mayer and Associates, Village of Gilman, Co-op Transports and Thrivent Financial.