Bath Area BackPack Program is seeking help from the community in its goal to provide meals for food-challenged children in Bath, Phippsburg and Woolwich. The not-for-profit program’s current fundraising goal is $60,000; $300 provides food during weekends and school vacations for one child for the entire school year.

Over 45% of students in the Bath area are food challenged, and in some schools, it’s as high as 65%. Even though all students receive free breakfast and lunch at school, for some, those meals may be the only meals of the day. Bath Area BackPack Program provides bags of food to cover weekends and holidays. It supports food and snack pantries at Fisher Mitchell, Morse High School and the Midcoast Youth Center. It also distributes 1,400 pounds of free produce through participating schools and partners that it receives from Good Shepherd Food Bank. This effort reaches over 200 local students, according to a prepared release. The challenges of current economic conditions has led to an increase in the number of families needing assistance.

Bath Area BackPack Program is an all-volunteer organization and relies on donations from individuals, businesses and churches to help it feed hungry children in the Midcoast community. Tax deductible donations can be mailed to the Bath Area BackPack Program, P.O. Box 1155, Bath, ME 04530. Secure electronic/credit card donations can be made online at bathareabackpack.org/donate/.