Iowa State University Extension

Problem:
Hamburg, Iowa, is a participant in the Northwest Area Foundation’s Horizons Program which develops community leadership and works to reduce poverty in communities with populations below 5,000 and a poverty rate above 10%. In the 2000 census, Hamburg had a population of 1,240 and a poverty rate of 13.9%.

Beginning in September 2008, ISU Extension facilitated Hamburg’s active involvement in Horizons activities including Study Circles, an Action Forum, and Leadership Plenty training. During this time, community members identified and prioritized needs with committees then being formed to take action on the ideas. One of the concerns that became apparent during the process was that 57% of Hamburg students were on free or reduced lunches and school personnel were aware that for some students school lunches were the only meals students had available all week. Thus, the idea of a backpack program became a community priority with the hope that such a program would provide food to children on the weekends when they were not able to receive meals at school.

Response:
In November 2008, a Backpack Committee was formed and began meeting regularly with the goal of distributing weekend backpacks to students as soon as possible but at least by fall of 2009. Through their work, the committee researched food available through the Omaha Food Bank and large discount stores, the need to have 501c3 status, locations in the community to store food, grants to fund the program, and the need to maintain the confidentiality of the students when backpacks were distributed. They discussed the need for volunteers and possible community support to “sponsor a child” for $125-$150 per school year. They also developed and distributed a survey to families who received free and reduced lunches to find out interest for the program.

A Neighborhood Networks Decat grant to the Fremont/Page/Taylor Counties Community Partnership for Protecting Children was also submitted to fund a Backpack Kick-off family meal and activity night. After much discussion and hard work, the committee was pleasantly surprised when a member was approached at the Celebrity Chef Omaha Food Bank fundraiser in February 2009 and told that the Omaha Food Bank would fund the Backpack Program in Hamburg. A representative from the Food Bank attended the committee’s next meeting to explain the details. In addition, the committee had received word that the grant application for a Backpack Kick-off was funded in the amount of $700.

Impact:
Rather than wait until the fall of 2009, the committee decided to begin backpack distribution in April 2009. Each Monday, a volunteer makes a trip to the Omaha Food Bank to pick up the backpacks which are already packaged. The bags are unloaded and stored at the school and distributed to 80-90 students each Friday. The students who receive the backpacks are identified through requests and referrals following procedures outlined by the Omaha Food Bank. The Hamburg School District also operates a Child Nutrition summer food program providing meals to students and plans to continue distribution of the backpacks throughout the summer. A Backpack Kick-Off celebration is planned in the community on May 21st, 2009 with the hope to solicit more volunteers to help with the program and request support for the Omaha Food Bank so funding of the program can continue. The Hamburg community is truly grateful for the opportunity to see the backpack program become a reality in only a few months thus enabling children to have nutritious food and not go hungry on the weekends or during the summer months.

Additional ISUE Extension Staff:
Doug Doty, Fremont County CEED
610 Clay
PO Box 420
Sidney, IA 51652

Additional Team Members or Community Partners:
Kenn Watham, Hamburg Elementary Principal
kwathen@hamburg.k12.ia.us

Contact:
Mary Beth Kaufman
Shelby County Extension
906 6th Street
Harlan, IA 51537
712-755-3104
mbkaufma@iastate.edu