2019 - 2020 SPONSORSHIP CAMPAIGN!

Year 8 was a fabulous year of St. Joseph showing support for KidPack and now we are ready for year 9! Throughout the past school year, we have continued bringing small meal and snack items to students at Sonnesyn Elementary and Robbinsdale Spanish Immersion School (RSIS).

Due to our incredible group of donors, packers and delivery teams, over 100 students each week for 30 weeks in the school year, have received a bag at no cost to the family.  Each bag of items costs about $2.25 each. This brings St. Joseph’s eight-year total to over 30,000 bags. We have also been able to add fresh fruit every other week to the bags.

Please prayerfully consider joining this effort by donating or volunteering to help assemble on Thursdays and/or deliver the KidPacks on Fridays. At current levels of bags packed and delivered, we will need over $6,800 for the 2019-2020 school year.

For more information, see below. You can "Donate Online," or make checks payable to St. Joseph and mail them to the Parish Office (Attn: KidPack). Thank you! 

What is KidPack? KidPack is an initiative within the Robbinsdale, Osseo and Hopkins Area Schools community to address weekend hunger for elementary students. Faith partners, community residents, non-profits, business and municipal partners collectively work together to raise funds, purchase food, assemble and deliver weekend KidPacks. KidPacks go home with students on Fridays (or some Thursdays), either 3 or 4 times a month. St. Joseph's is proud to be a founding and sustaining member of this organization. 

Why is KidPack important to our children/community? For many children a school breakfast or lunch is their only nutritional meal of the day. During the weekend many are faced with either non-nutritious food or simply go hungry. According to Hunger Solutions, “One in five area households with children are food insecure. Children in those households simply do not get enough to eat—they have to cut the size of their meals, skip meals, or even go whole days without food at some point during the school year. Over 40% of the people served at food shelves are children. Hungry children face unnecessary barriers as they strive to become healthy, productive and engaged members of society. Hunger contributes to poor academic performance and disruptive behavior in the classroom. Missed meals also increase tardiness and visits to the school nurse.”  
 
What is the cost of a weekend KidPack? The cost of the pack varies, depending upon partnerships and donations. The cost for an individual KidPack is $2-$2.25. Cost is paid for by the community partner.  Sponsorships are always welcome!
 
How can I volunteer? Volunteers are needed to assemble and deliver the KidPacks. Please complete the KidPack Sponsorship document or contact the Parish to become part of this ministry.

What food is included in the KidPack? Contents vary, but the following is a sample of a typical KidPack content: Mac & cheese, applesauce or fruit cup, oatmeal, trial mix or pretzel, juice box. shelf stable milk, cheese stick and meat stick. When possible, we like to include a fresh apple or orange.

How are parents notified about KidPack? When schools decide to participate in KidPack, a letter from the principal is sent home to all families. Letters from the principal include instructions on how to opt in or opt out of the KidPack program, as well as instructions for notifying the school of food allergies or other input parents may wish to share. Some schools have built KidPack into their school theme or goals. Ideally this letter would go out toward the beginning of the school year (September/October) but it can go out at any point in the school year.
 
How are the KidPacks assembled and delivered? Each school works closely with their community partners to identify and customize the best fit for the community partner and the school needs. This starts with a meeting and tour of the school with the principal and social worker. They and the community partner then create a game plan and timeline as to how best deliver the Kidpacks to the students and when. Three options are currently used for delivery: placing them outside the classroom in a box where all kids can take one; placing them in individual lockers; and distributing it to each student in a central school location. In the end the KidPacks are delivered by the time the students go home on Friday afternoons for the weekend.

Are there KidPacks available when the students are not in school during the summer months? Those students attending summer school have the option, at no cost, to receive a KidPack. The community partners gather to pack the bags at the end of June and then distriubute them throughtout the four summer school weeks in July.
 
Are district funds used to plan, purchase, assemble or pay for any portion of Kid Packs? No school district funds are utilized for KidPack. KidPack is dependent upon community donations, grants and fund-raising initiatives.
 
How are volunteers connected to the district’s community volunteer program? Volunteers In Partnership (VIP) works with our faith-based partners to welcome them and to find the best approach to link KidPack volunteers with VIP in ways that are mutually beneficial.

What schools, faith partners, businesses and community partner churches currently participate in KidPack (Robbinsdale School District)? 

 
Bonfire Ministries is a collaborative mission of First Lutheran Church of Crystal, House of Hope Lutheran Church and St. James Lutheran Church.

KidPack severs over 2,500 students each month. Throughout the Robbinsdale School district, it is about 80,000 KidPacks per school year, including the summer school KidPack.