LABELLE — For the sixth year in a row, the greater Whisper Creek family has stepped up the plate to donate funds to Operation Backpack.

Ten years ago LaBelle area residents noticed a hunger problem with some school aged children. Although benefiting from school breakfasts and lunches, some students were coming to school on Mondays having had little or no food over the weekend. And now, with more parents out of work, covid has increased the need.

Thus Operation Backpack was formed. The simple goal was to feed children that would otherwise go hungry over the weekend.

Operation Backpack now serves an average of 180 to 200 LeBelle area school children each weekend. Sacks of food and snacks are assembled and given to students to place in their backpacks to take home each Friday. This program is designed to fill the hunger gap between Friday afternoon and Monday morning. The average package of food costs a little under $4 per student per week and the approximate monthly cost to feed all of these area kids is $3,000.

According to Lois Houser, Whisper Creeks local volunteer, residents donated over $1,800 this year to aid in the program. According to Lois, “100% of the money raised in Whisper Creek will go to aid area children in need of some weekend food.”

Money is raised here in the park by 50/50 raffles, sales of donated items and by direct donations. Operation Backpack receives additional donations from many other local businesses, churches and individuals.

So how does the program work? If a child is in need of food, parents or family can contact their child’s school to submit the student’s name and they become eligible to receive the food donations. Operation Backpack’s driving motto is: “Hunger is a real problem, not in some remote land, but here in Hendry county.”

To further donate to this cause, you may send a check made out to First Baptist Church of LaBelle, Christ Central, or Carlson Methodist Church. Please add Operation Backpack to the memo line to assure funds go to the appropriate account.

If you know of a child in need or if you want to be part of the team that assembles the meal packs you can contact Donna Hull at 863-234-1564.

There is no possible excuse for children to go hungry in this country. Yet it happens - every day, in every community. According to the latest estimates, as many as 13 million children in the United States live in “food insecure” homes. That phrase may sound mild, but it means that those households don’t have enough food for every family member to lead a healthy life.

Operation Backpack is a community service that is completely funded by local donations and is staffed by volunteers. Whisper Creek residents are proud to be part of the greater LeBelle community and to participate in this project.

Lois added, “I’m am so proud of their continued generosity to make this donation possible.”