A few weeks ago, Bethlehem Area School District School Board member Angela Sinkler announced at a Board meeting that the Backpack Pals Program was looking for donations. Bethlehem’s Superintendent Dr. Joseph Roy and other District Administrators had also tweeted about the program in an effort to spread the word.
KingSpry’s employees collected donations and delivered them early Wednesday morning.
“When we heard about the program,” says education attorney Avery Smith, “we wanted to help.”
The Backpack Pals Program was founded by Nikki Testa, a BASD mom, in 2013. The Program originally began at East Hills Middle School, but has now expanded to include several other elementary, middle, and high schools in the Bethlehem area. Nikki started the program after learning how many children were going home hungry after school.
“I didn’t realize how widespread the problem was,” Nikki said, “It was hard to imagine a child sitting next to mine in class and then going home hungry.”
Tucked away in a small corner of a maintenance garage outside Miller Heights Elementary School in Bethlehem, shelves are lined with cups of soup, jars of jelly, packets of rice and ramen.
Backpack Pals collects nonperishable, nutritious food items and distributes them among BASD students in need for weekends. The food provided is often microwavable, making it easy for the children to prepare for themselves.
The local community has stepped in to help Backpack Pals achieve their goals. Local families, churches, and businesses provide donations, and some of the local community schools provide outreach to the families and coordinate food drives to help restock the shelves. The custodial staff at Miller Heights Elementary donated a portion of their workspace so Nikki could have extra storage space. Andrew Chandler, the general manager of the Nutrition Solutions Team, also donated a portion of their own storage space to Backpack Pals. After being assembled, the District’s food service provider, Sodexo, assists in the transportation of the donations.
But the need is ongoing.
Growing up in a single parent household with a hardworking mother, Nikki understands how difficult the lives of children can be and wanted to pay it forward while erasing the stigma of receiving aid. Even with the discrete nature of the distribution, she finds that some students are still hesitant to take food home due to fear of judgment. Nikki would like to eliminate this problem and feed all who need help.
If you are interested in helping the Backpack Pals Program, you can contact Nikki at backpackpalspa@gmail.com. She accepts non-perishable food donations, non-food item donations (pencils, toothbrushes, soap, etc.), as well as monetary donations. Visit the Bethlehem Backpack Pals Facebook page for more information.