SANFORD — Each week, about 170 backpacks go home with Sanford school students stuffed with easy to prepare food items. 

There’s whole grain pasta and sauce, peanut butter, canned meats, fish and vegetables, and canned or easy open fruit cups.

The Sanford Backpack Program is designed to help ensure that kids have nutritious food on weekends.

Officials at the Backpack Program say the fruit products are hard to come by these days, because the usual product stocked by their supplier is no longer available. Backpack Program spokeswoman Lori Williams said it is expected it will take the agency time to secure another source for canned fruit.

The Backpack Program is putting out the word about their need, and already folks are responding.

At the end of last week, the County Patrol Association — the union that represents York County’s rural patrol deputies — made a large donation — delivering cases of applesauce cups, mandarin orange cups, fruit cocktail and more to help make sure youngsters have some healthy snacks on weekends. The CPA donation was made in memory of slain deputy Corporal Eugene Cole of Somerset County, who was buried on Monday.

Others are responding as well.

York County government has several locations where people who want to help can drop off contributions: York County Sheriff’s Office and York County Jail on Layman Way, off Route 4 in Alfred; the York County Government building on Route 4 in Alfred;, and at the York County Registry of Deeds at the York County Court House on Kennebunk Road, also in Alfred. They’ll be collecting until May 16.

Hollywood Hair, on Main Street in Sanford, plans to keep its collection site going all summer, said business owner Holly Benoit.

“We’ve been doing a big push,” said Benoit. “We’ve got about 200 cans here.”

Benoit said she hopes to offer  incentives for products and services to encourage contributions throughout the summer.

“I know this city can really rally together,” she said.

Michael Perry, a corrections officer at York County Jail, said when he heard about the shortage of fruit products, he knew people at the county level could help. “It’s a program I really believe in,” said Perry. “And I wanted to be part of it.”

Perry said the project has been popular at the county government, with lots of people willing to pitch in.

“We got lots of help from everybody,” he said.

County Patrol Association President Bob Carr said the union’s contribution came from their charity fund. 

“If a member brings forward a cause, we discuss and vote on it,” he said. The request came at the same time a member of the law enforcement community, Corporal Cole of Somerset County, was killed, the donation was made in his honor.

Carr is a believer in the backpack concept — he is involved with a similar program through his church in another York County community.

“It’s a good thing,” Carr said.

A February 2017 report by Good Shepherd Food Bank and Preble Street quotes statistics from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that show one in six  Mainers is food insecure — meaning they live without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food. The rate of food insecurity among Maine children is even higher, the report stated, noting that nearly one in four children in Maine experiences food insecurity. 

The report noted that in 2016, there were  27,590 people in York County who experienced food insecurity.

Williams said donations are always welcome. Fruit donations should be no larger than 14.5 ounces and not in glass containers. The program is always happy to accept small rolling backpacks or rolling carry-on bags, peanut butter, whole grain pasta, canned fruits and veggies and canned tuna or chicken, she said. Those items may be dropped off at Sanford High School or Sanford Junior High School anytime throughout the year. Financial  contributions may be made to Sanford Backpack Program and mailed to P.O. Box 958, Sanford, 04073. Williams may be reached at: [email protected].

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or [email protected].