North East Wake Backpack Buddies provides weekend meal bags for 400 children in 20 elementary and middle schools from Wake Forest to Zebulon.
“In order to continue to provide weekend meal bags to hungry children and grow our program with the increasing need, we have started a winter giving campaign,” organizers said last week.
It costs $10 to fill each weekend bag with well-rounded, healthy breakfasts, lunches and dinners. The group needs the community’s help with financial or food donations and always needs volunteers to pack and deliver the bags.
To learn how to donate, go to the website, www.newbackpackbuddies.org or send an email to Kelley Barnes, secretary@newbackpackbuddies.org, or Meghann Smits, communications@newbackpackbuddies.org.
The year-round schools served are Heritage Elementary, Heritage Middle, Sanford Creek Elementary, Rolesville Middle, Jones Dairy Elementary, Harris Creek Elementary and Durant Middle. The traditional calendar schools are Rolesville Elementary, Wake Forest Elementary, Wake Forest Middle, East Millbrook Middle, Zebulon Elementary, Zebulon Middle, Wakelon Elementary, Richland Creek Elementary, Forest Pines Elementary, Heritage High, Abbotts Creek Elementary, River Oaks Middle and Knightdale Elementary.
Backpack Buddies was started in 2006 as a youth mission at Rolesville Baptist Church. Jeff Pethel was the youth minister and had seen a young child in a convenience store scraping money together to eat a meal. His mission grew quickly due to his compassion and dedication.
In September 2011, North East Wake Backpack Buddies developed into a 501-c-3 non-profit organization separate from the church.
