Getting the proper foods and nutrition is important for growing minds and bodies.
On Friday, about 450 elementary school kids in the Murphy Canyon area received what sponsors call Blessings in a Backpack. Volunteers from the Farmers Insurance golf tournament unloaded the backpacks for needy school children at Doris Elementary.
Ninety-eight percent of these kids are from military families on limited incomes. Principal Stacy Jones said the Friday backpacks filled with nutritious items are meant to be supplemental. "More than half of our student body, or about 750 kids, are on the free or reduced lunch program" Jones said.
Almost every school in San Diego county has children who go without eating for days on a regular basis, especially over the weekend. Its estimated one out of seven children in the county is living in poverty. So when Monday rolls around a hungry belly makes it hard to concentrate on learning.
Christy Smith said the program has been a huge help for her family. She has a 6 and 10 year old at the school. "It does help relieve the burden because a lot of the parents are single income families" Smith said.
Farmers Insurance joined with the PGA tour to sponsor the backpack program for two more years at Doris Miller Elementary.
