Local Food Bank Works to Get Healthy Food to Students

Mitch Borden/KMXT

The Kodiak Baptist Mission’s food bank works to get healthy food into the hands of people who don’t always have access to it. Kellie Foreman works at the mission. She says the food bank’s done this for over 13 years and isn’t slowing down.

“We serve anywhere from 800 to 1000 individuals each month. These are families that are food insecure. They may not know where their next meal is coming from. It may be hard for some of us to understand that, but they go and open up their refrigerator and they really don’t have any food.”

The food bank is working on a new backpack food program. It’ll work to ensure children have access to food during school breaks. Foreman says during the school week students have access to a free and reduced meal program. The food bank wants to make sure kids have food when they’re out of school as well, like during Christmas and Thanksgiving.

“We’re trying to start with if we have a longer break lets be able to provide a bag of food that kids can take home with them to get them through that weekend.”

Eventually, Foreman wants the food bank to give out food every Friday to help students get through weekends. But right now, she says the food bank is starting small and making sure it can sustain the program.

The food bank’s working with two of Kodiak’s elementary schools, Main and East. It’ll be sending out flyers to parents, who will choose whether or not to opt into the program. It’s open to anyone who feels extra food could benefit their children. Foreman says hopefully this will be a way for the food bank to reach out to families.

“The initial step is to get the food in the hands of the kids. Hopefully, the next step will be if families find that this is very helpful for them that we can take the next step to get them that box of food that’s monthly that will help them.”

Foreman says she’s hoping to get the backpack food program up and running as soon as possible.