Eastern Shore Savvy Packs Care
On Friday, August 30th, representatives from Eastern Shore Savvy along with no less than 20 other volunteers stood in a long assembly line and helped put together the first group of CarePacks for the new school year.
CarePacks is a program implemented by Megan Cook—Easton Town Council Member and Easton Elementary School parent and Emily Moody, Easton Elementary Parent Liaison. They recognized a need for students who receive reduced and free meals at school to also receive nutritional help at home—for some students the meals they eat at school are the only ones they get all day.
The purpose of CarePacks is to provide weekend meals for these at risk kids. They receive: two breakfasts, two lunches, two fruits, and two snacks. All food is non-perishable and kid-friendly—all the cans have pop-tops and the bags are easy to open. “We just started adding fresh fruit,” says Gowe.
“The pilot program began in Easton in 2012 and started serving 40 kids,” explains Maggie Gowe, St. Michaels CarePacks representative. “Around the beginning of the year White Marsh Elementary showed an interest in the program and a decision was made to include all the elementary schools.”
The program now serves roughly 150 students throughout Talbot County. “By the end of the year we could be providing weekend meals to up to 200 students,” continues Gowe. “Many of them are transient, they don’t have an address, so they are hard to identify.”
The food is purchased from Sam’s Club and the Maryland Food Bank. The program is funded through private donations, grants, as well as fundraising efforts by each individual school.
“We are looking to expand into St. Michaels Middle/High School,” says Gowe. “The only problem there is the stigma attached—the older students are worried they might get teased.”
CarePacks are assembled once a month. To volunteer contact, Kyle Leoncini at [email protected]. For general information or to make a monetary donation contact Megan Cook at [email protected]/
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