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This is our priority project.
In the Holdrege School system 43% of elementary students receive free or reduced lunches.
A recent high school YELP (Youth Engaged in Leading Phelps) graduate, Alexander Alber, researched and identified the lack of nutrition for many of our local grade school students. She presented her final project at a YELP graduation ceremony as 'Backpack Blessings' where volunteers would supply backpacks with food for elementary children to take home on the weekends.
The backpacks would cost $5 and the cost per year per child for food would be $180 for a total cost per student of $185. Ms. Alber is already partnering with a church and others who have heard about this project have offered financial support.
At this time it is estimated that 65 students may sign up in August of 2015. Based on these numbers the program costs are estimated to be $11,700 for the 2015-2016 school year.
There will also be a need to help assemble and stuff backpacks. The Holdrege Rotary Club has asked to be put on the volunteer list, along with many other groups and organizations committing their support.
The Holdrege Rotary Club has committed $500 towards this project and would like to request a grant of $1,000 from the District 5630 grant program.
Addendum to Project Description (added after the project was signed)
The Backpack Blessings program has been running successfully since the beginning of the school year. The program needed about 20 more backpacks than estimated and volunteers of time and financial resources have funded this program for the first year.
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