AUBURN – Thanks to Procter & Gamble and its local subsidiary, Tambrands, Good Shepherd Food Bank will expand its BackPack Program into two Auburn elementary schools for the remainder of the 2011-12 school year. The participating schools were chosen based on their high rates of students dependent upon free and reduced meals for proper nutrition.

Starting on Friday, March 23, 120 students at two local schools who exhibit the warnings signs of chronic hunger will begin receiving BackPacks of nutritious, easy to prepare meals and snacks to help them through the weekend. Volunteers from Tambrands will help food bank staff pack the bags of food to be distributed each week.

According to a 2011 USDA report, one in four Maine children are at risk of going hungry. According to Shannon Coffin, program manager at Good Shepherd, “During the week, these children are able to participate in the National School Lunch Program. But for many of them, the beginning of the weekend means two long days without adequate access to the food their growing minds and bodies need.”

“The BackPack Program is a very simple and accessible way to prevent that. We’re able to get bags of food directly to the children in need right in their schools, in a way that is both discreet and tailored to their needs,” said Coffin. “For just $250 the Food Bank is able to sponsor a child through the BackPack Program for a full year.”

For more information about the BackPack Program, contact Shannon Coffin at 782-3554, ext. 1163, or [email protected].