Backpack Impact

Help  feed hungry kids in our community

We partner with the Wentzville School District and Operation Food Search to supply weekend meals for local school children. We partner with multiple schools to serve over 200 kids per week. We are passionate about helping eliminate hunger for these local kids. We want to show them that they are loved and we care.

Summer Backpack Program

We are happy to offer your child, based on information you provide participation in our Summer Backpack Impact program.  This is a weekend nutrition program sponsored by Morning Star Church. If you choose to enroll your child, we will contact you to make arrangements for a free bag of food to be given for your child each week of the Summer Break.  These food items are to help provide food for the weekends.

If you would like to participate, please click the button below and fill out the form.  Information provided will be shared with our program leaders but will remain confidential.
Click to sign up
Participation Waiver:  Morning Star Church, Operation Food Search and the Wentzville School District are not responsible for any allergic reaction my child(ren) may have to food items supplied by the Backpack Impact Program.  The program is unable to adjust the program to accommodate food allergies. It is my responsibility to look through the food items before giving to my child to avoid allergic reaction.  Therefore, by signing up for this program, I release Morning Star Church, Operation Food Search and Wentzville School District and hold harmless against all liabilities, damages, losses, or claims resulting from donated food.
HERE'S A LIST OF ITEMS WE NEED:

1. Macaroni & Cheese
2. Peanut Butter (regular sized plastic jars please )
3. Jelly ( yep, just plastic )
4. Soup (kid friendly flavors and regular sized cans)
5. Canned Spaghetti w/Meatballs or Spaghettio’s
6. Canned Ravioli
7. Beef-A-Roni/Beef Stew
8. Chili
9. Individual Sized Breakfast Cereal
10. Individual Packets of Oatmeal
11. Vegetable Cups or Small Cans of Corn
12. Carrots and Green Beans
13. Breakfast Bars
14. Fruit Cups (Peaches, Oranges, Fruit Cocktail, Pears)
15. Individually Packaged Snacks (Crackers, Fruit Snacks, etc)
16. Granola Bars
17. Juice Boxes
18. Hot Chocolate
19. Ramen Noodles


Items can be dropped off at any time in one of the purple bins or on Sunday mornings in the church lobby.

HOW DO YOU DETERMINE WHO GETS FOOD?

The kids that we pack for are identified as food challenged by the counselors at each school. These are children who may not have enough to eat at home on the weekends when not attending school. The counselor reaches out to the family and they can “opt in” to the Backpack Impact Program offered by Morning Star. We started a partnership between Morning Star and our neighbor, Prairie View Elementary with 28 kids about 9 years ago. Today, we partner with 6 schools including Prairie View, Barfield Early Education, Discovery Ridge, Lakeview, Frontier Middle and Liberty High and over 200 kids per week.
HOW CAN I VOLUNTEER?
We welcome people of all ages to volunteer with Backpack Impact! Contact Lori Carballo at the link below for a schedule of packing dates and get signed up for the group email list.
You can help once a month, twice a month or whenever your schedule allows. We can tell you what we need and you can jump in when you can. Typically, we pack every other week during the school year, usually on Wednesday nights. We also occasionally need volunteers to sort food, check expiration dates, and shelve donations.
We want everyone who wants to be involved to be given that opportunity. You are welcome.
Email Lori