New Century Club of Newark donates $33,600 to Food Bank of Delaware

September 24, 2019

The New Century Club of Newark donated $33,600 to our Backpack Program last week! The program provides food to children in need  when school is not in session and federal school meal programs are not available. Child hunger advocate and First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney was on hand for the donation.

“We are so thankful to the Newark New Century Club for their commitment to helping us alleviate childhood hunger in Delaware,” said Food Bank of Delaware President and CEO Patricia Beebe. “One in six Delaware children live in poverty, so we know firsthand how critical these funds are for our children. Thanks to their support and generosity, we will be able to provide 170 Delaware children with weekend and holiday food for an entire school year.”

Bags for the program are stocked with kid-friendly, nutritious foods including shelf-stable milk and juice, meals such as macaroni and cheese and beef stew and more. Bags are delivered to schools throughout the state. School officials discreetly place the bags in participants’ backpack for the weekend or holiday.

Last school year, the Food Bank of Delaware distributed 187,183 meal bags to 6,280 children through 197 statewide sites. The cost to provide a child with weekend meals through the program for an entire school year is $197.

Click here to learn more about the Backpack Program.