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Preschool Students Pack Backpacks Full of Food for Students in Need

By Stephanie Lulay | February 22, 2016 6:19am
 Francis Xavier Warde preschooler Sofia Thason fills bags with food as part of the Blessings in a Backpack program Friday. The food will be distributed to students in need at Maternity BVM School in Humboldt Park.
Francis Xavier Warde preschooler Sofia Thason fills bags with food as part of the Blessings in a Backpack program Friday. The food will be distributed to students in need at Maternity BVM School in Humboldt Park.
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dnainfo/Stephanie Lulay

WEST LOOP — A group of 3- and 4-year-old students at The Frances Xavier Warde School are helping students in need in Humboldt Park and learning valuable lessons in the process. 

As part of the Blessings in a Backpack program, a group of students from the school pack 175 backpacks full of food every Friday. Ahead of the weekend, the backpacks are then distributed to students in need at Maternity BVM School in Humboldt Park. 

All of the benefiting children rely on federal free and reduced meals they receive Monday through Friday at their school. But on weekends, some of those children don't have the same access to food, said Priya Valenti, program coordinator at Francis Xavier Warde. 

"It's hard to listen, it's hard to pay attention when you're hungry," she said. "They are lovely families that are trying to make it, and this is just an extra little helping hand for them." 

The partnership has proved fruitful for both schools and students, Valenti said. 

"They learn you can make a difference doing something small. It doesn't have to be some elaborate event or a grand gesture. Putting food in a bag for someone who needs it, [they know they] did something good," she said. "For a little child, that's a very tangible lesson." 

Preschooler Donovan Reidy, who turned 4½ years old this week, said the oatmeal, mac & cheese, veggies and other food students pack weekly helps families "who don't have much money to go to the grocery store."

"I like helping people," Reidy said. "It's my favorite thing to do in the whole world." 

Launched in 2005, non-profit Blessings in a Backpack serves more than 83,000 low-income children in 900 schools across the country. 


Francis Xavier Warde preschool students, including Donovan Reidy (l.) filled bags with food as part of the Blessings in a Backpack program Friday. [dnainfo/Stephanie Lulay]

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