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Child Hunger in West Virginia: Local Backpack Program Provides 60,000 Meals a Year

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"Suppose a brother or sister does not have any clothes or daily food and one of you tells them, ‘Go in peace! Stay warm and eat heartily.’ If you do not provide for their bodily needs, what good does it do? In the same way, faith by itself, if it does not prove itself with actions, is dead." (James 2:15-17)


When a local congregation first helped establish a Weekend Backpack Program for their neighborhood elementary school, they were stunned to learn that over 50% of students needed food bags. They hadn’t realized how widespread child hunger was in their own community.


Here in West Virginia, nearly 1 in 2 children are at risk of going hungry. That means every other child you see on the playground, in the classroom, or walking home from school may not know where their next meal will come from.


At the House of the Carpenter, we are working to change that reality. Through our Backpack Program, we provide weekend food bags to every student at Madison Elementary, about 240 children every week. Each bag includes items for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and fresh fruit.


For the kids, the fresh fruit is always the favorite item. Many of them don’t have it at home because it’s simply too expensive. As we often remind people, poverty takes away choice, and something as simple as fresh fruit becomes a luxury.


During a typical school year, HOC distributes more than:


  • 60,000 meals

  • 20,000 pieces of fruit


And the cost? It’s surprisingly small to make a huge difference:


  • $5 feeds one child for a weekend

  • $20 feeds one child for a month

  • $100 feeds an entire small class for a week


Your support makes this possible. By donating to the House of the Carpenter Backpack Program, you are ensuring that children in our community don’t go hungry when school cafeterias are closed.


You can designate your gift directly to this vital program:


Together, we can make sure no child from Madison Elementary spends the weekend hungry.


 
 
 

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