Food bags for Fox Chapel Area students available at municipal buildings
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Organizers of Fox Chapel Area’s Backpack for Hunger are placing bags of food at municipal buildings across the Lower Valley because they are worried about children going hungry during the district’s online instructional period.
“We are very concerned about children not having food when they are not in school,” said volunteer Lisa Bowden.
Backpack for Hunger was founded to fill a void and provide food on weekends but covid-19 has shifted the focus of volunteers who, since March, have provided more than 14,000 food bags to district families.
Since the pandemic hit, 1 in 4 children in the U.S. is experiencing food insecurity, Bowden said.
In Fox Chapel Area, nearly 25% of students qualify for the free or reduced-price lunch program.
“We need to let them know where they can get food,” Bowden said.
With virus cases on the rise, Fox Chapel Area switched to a fully remote learning model through Dec. 4. If students do return after that, it will only be the elementary buildings that are back in-person on a full-time basis.
“Middle school and high school students will still not be back physically in school full-time, so we are concerned that without those school lunches and breakfasts, some students still need food,” Bowden said.
Currently, Backpack for Hunger bags are distributed on Fridays in schools and also with the district’s free food distribution that happens on Wednesdays at Fox Chapel High School, Bowden said.
Extra food bags are also being placed throughout the community for easy pickup.
They are available at:
• Sharpsburg municipal building, 1611 Main St., from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Blawnox municipal building, 376 Freeport Road, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Indiana Township municipal building, 3710 Saxonburg Blvd., from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The food is nonperishable. Anyone who knows of families in need is encouraged to contact Bowden at lbowden11@comcast.net.