Food4Kids program gave out 220,000 backpacks to hungry young Kansans

The Food4Kids program run by the Kansas Food Bank gave out 220,000 backpacks of food to chronically hungry students in Kansas during this past school year, the Food Bank said in a statement.

The program served 402 elementary and middle schools in more than 55 Kansas counties, providing 6,855 food packets per week, said Larry Gunkel, who runs the Food Bank program.

Volunteers donated thousands of hours putting food in the backpacks, he said.

They give out backpacks of food to ensure that children have something to eat on weekends. The Food Bank, with the help of donors and volunteers, created the program in 2004 after learning that many children didn’t have much to eat except for what they receive during the week at school.

This story was originally published June 5, 2014 at 10:55 AM with the headline "Food4Kids program gave out 220,000 backpacks to hungry young Kansans ."