Thanks so much for the support we’re receiving from Women in Leadership for our Weekend Backpack Program!

The Salvation Army of Michigan City has provided this program for Michigan City Area Schools for about six years or so, after the school district was forced to make budget cuts. We feel this is an essential program for food-insecure children in our community, so we took the program on to ensure it would continue.

Throughout the school year, we provide bags of food every week for children who have been identified by school counselors, teachers, social workers, etc. as homeless or otherwise food-insecure. Last year, this program was serving about 75 children in Michigan City Area Schools, but has since expanded to provide these meals for 180 kids at MCAS as well as 20 from the Head Start program for a total of 200 bags of food per week during the school year. Each bag of food contains six easy-to-prepare meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner for Saturday and Sunday when school-provided food is not available for these kids in need).

Since mid-March, when the COVID-19 outbreak really began to impact our community, the number of kids in this backpack program increased to 200 MCAS students and 200 Head Start students, basically doubling the number of food bags provided every week. Although students are not physically attending school during this pandemic, the backpack program is still continuing as school social workers and other staff are delivering these bags of food directly to the students in need.

We recently received a request from Michigan City Area Schools to continue this program throughout the summer months this year – something that has never before been included in our budget. However, we agreed because we see the need, especially given the significant increase in unemployment due to COVID-19. As all of our programs are seeing an increase in need at this time, our budget is already stretched thin, so we’re seeking help from the community specifically to continue this program over the summer months this year. We estimate the total cost to be approximately $5,000 – and we know it’s too much for most organizations to donate the entire amount to this program. But any contribution will help as we continue serving this most vulnerable population.

Donations can be made to our office at 1201 S. Franklin Street, Michigan City, IN 46360 or online at www.samichigancity.org.

Thanks again for your support, and I invite any Women in Leadership members to feel free to contact myself or Major Becky with any questions via email at jessica.obrien@usc.salvationarmy.org, rebecca.simmons@usc.salvationarmy.org or (219) 874-6885.

Jessica O’Brien
Development Director
The Salvation Army of Michigan City
(219) 874-6885