Every Thursday, a group of Boerne community members forms an assembly line to help make sure local students have enough to eat when school is out.
The volunteers pack hundreds of bags of food for students in the Boerne Independent School District who are on the free or reduced-price lunch program.
About one in five students in the district qualify for that assistance, organizers said.
The effort is run locally through Blessings in a Backpack, a national nonprofit that provides weekend meals for children who may not have consistent access to food outside of school.
“The mission is making sure that no child in this community goes hungry,” said Kathy Bandujo, who started the Boerne program 14 years ago.
Bandujo said the program began at one school. It now serves more than 500 students at all 14 Boerne ISD campuses.
“We pack a bag to send home with them every weekend that gives them breakfast and lunch and three snacks a day, so that hopefully they’re getting consistent nutrition seven days a week,” Bandujo said.
In less than two hours each week, volunteers fill bags, double-check lists and deliver the food to campuses. Organizers said as many as 40 volunteers may show up to help.
Program coordinator Audra Duran said the need in Boerne is sometimes overlooked.
“Everybody thinks of Boerne as affluent, and we are for the most part, but there is a great need as well,” Duran said. “We’re just here to help those folks. Help them live with dignity and keep their bellies full.”
Duran said rising food costs are making it harder to stock the bags with nutritious items.
“I’m trying to figure out what would be the best item to buy,” Duran said. “I haven’t bought any mandarins in a while, because they’re like $25 a case, which is quite high, because it used to be like $15 to $16.”
Although Blessings in a Backpack is part of a national nonprofit, donations for the Boerne effort are collected locally.
“All the money that is donated, 100% goes to food,” Duran said. “Any administrative costs, paper materials, printing supplies, Kathy and I do that out of our pockets.”
To protect families’ privacy, volunteers do not know which students receive the bags. Bandujo said that does not change why they show up each week.
“We have no idea who these children are, nor do we need to know,” Bandujo said. “We just need to know that there’s a hungry child. That’s all that matters.”
Volunteers also pack bags for long school breaks and try to add items such as peanut butter to help meals stretch during the holidays. To connect with the organization, click here.
