Child Hunger Outreach Partners (CHOP) received a $10,000 First Federal Charitable Foundation grant it will use to support its Backpack Program and In-School Pantries that provide free food items to food-insecure children.
CHOP's mission is to create an entire generation that doesn't know hunger through innovative and collaborative partnerships. Last year, the organization served more than 41,000 students weekly, including many of the 16,170 children in Luzerne, Schuylkill and Columbia counties who are designated as food-insecure according to Feeding America's Map the Meal Gap data.
The organization plans to use the grant funding to support the continuation and expansion of its current Backpack Program and In-School Pantries which are implemented through school partners to support school-aged children directly. Through the Backpack Program, CHOP sends two breakfasts, two dinners, two fruits or vegetables, and five to 10 healthy snacks home with students every Friday. The food bag is placed discreetly in the student's backpack to ensure they can bring food home without any surrounding stigma. This food helps those students who rely on school meals for breakfast and lunch each day to maintain a stable food supply on the weekends.
The In-School Pantries, which are primarily used by older children and teens, provide open access to food items right at school. The pantries are located in a central, easily-accessible area and are available to all students without any restrictions on eligibility to help destigmatize the need for aid. The pantries are self-serve and students can take what they need throughout the day and are encouraged to take enough food home for siblings as well.
CHOP Founder and CEO Dani Ruhf said, “We're grateful to the First Federal Charitable Foundation for this support that will help us provide food-insecure children with direct access to food. Our programs combat hunger for thousands of students and families in Pennsylvania and allow us to quickly and efficiently close the meal gap in the counties we serve. Through being able to keep our Backpack Program and In-School Pantries fully stocked, we will meet our goal to truly address the root cause of generational poverty, which is childhood hunger.”
First Federal Charitable Foundation Executive Director Megan Kennedy said, “We're proud to support the work that Child Hunger Outreach Partners is doing to end childhood hunger. When children are hungry, it leads to a wide range of physical, mental and emotional problems so the work that CHOP is doing in providing healthy and nutritious food for children inside and outside of school is vital to their well-being and development.”
The First Federal Charitable Foundation was established to support worthwhile community causes. It strives to nurture nonprofit institutions and programs that will effectively serve those in need from the community, empower nonprofit institutions and programs that will expand their presence in and services to the area, and promote opportunities for new nonprofit institutions and programs that will serve the unserved.
Nonprofit organizations with a 501(c)(3) IRS designation located in Luzerne, Schuylkill, Carbon and Columbia counties are eligible to apply. Any organization whose headquarters is in another county but services either Luzerne, Schuylkill, Carbon or Columbia counties may apply for a grant to be used in one of those counties.
For more information on the foundation or to obtain a grant application, visit www.1stfederalcharitable.org or email