JONESBORO, Ark. – February 13, 2024: The Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas received a $25,000 grant from the BNSF Railway Foundation for the Backpack Program. The grant funds will be used to acquire nutritious, easy-to-prepare, child-friendly food items for children at risk of hunger to take home on weekends and school holidays when other resources are not available.
Currently, the U.S. has a child food insecurity rate of 16.1%. Arkansas has a child food insecurity rate of 19.7%.
“In the 12 counties served by the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas, 24.8% of children face food insecurity – well above the state and national average,” said Christie Jordan, CEO for the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas. “Of the schools currently participating in the Backpack Program, over 70% rely on free meals from their school. This means students relying on school meals during the week may go without food over the weekend without the help of the Backpack Program.”
Research shows children who don’t get enough to eat are more likely to repeat a grade in elementary school, suffer developmental impairments in language and motor skills, and have more social and behavioral problems. Without the Backpack Program, students in food insecure homes cannot focus on foundational learning.
The Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas currently serves more than 1,000 students at 30 schools through the Backpack Program.
About the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas
The Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas provides hunger relief to people in need by raising awareness, securing resources, and distributing food through a network of non-profit agencies and programs. The Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas provides the equivalent of 132,000 meals each week to people facing hunger. The Food Bank works in partnership with 180 non-profit partner agencies and programs in 12 counties in Northeast Arkansas. These counties include: Clay, Craighead, Crittenden, Cross, Greene, Jackson, Lawrence, Mississippi, Poinsett, Randolph, St. Francis, and Woodruff. Additionally, the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas is a member of Feeding America, a national network of food banks. Through our many partnerships, every $1 donated can help provide 3.5 meals. For additional information, please visit our website www.foodbankofnea.org. You can also find the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas on Facebook @FoodBankofNEA, Twitter @foodbankofnea, and Instagram @foodbankofnea.
About the BNSF Railway Foundation
The mission of the BNSF Railway Foundation is to support and help improve quality of life for thousands of communities across the 28 states where BNSF operates, primarily across the Midwest, Southwest and Northwest regions of the U.S. As one of the largest freight railroads in North America, BNSF Railway is focused on making a difference in the communities where our employees live, work and volunteer. The BNSF Railway Foundation is BNSF’s main vehicle for charitable giving.