Virginia Beach, Va. -Virginia Beach City Public Schools are taking action to help children who can't afford their own lunches.
The VBCPS Parent Connection has created the Operation Beach Bags program to provide students with necessary food items for the weekend and school vacations, when they aren't able to take advantage of school breakfasts and lunches.
Volunteers give out brown paper bags filled with food for the students every other weekend.
Bags are placed in student backpacks at the end of the school day.
The school says they pack the backpacks at the end of the day so students "are not embarrassed or stigmatized for having been selected."
Each bag has essential food items, including:
- 2 individual cereal boxes - small, individual sized boxes or bowls
- 2 Milk cartons
- 2 Non-perishable main course items like ravioli, spaghetti & meatballs, beef stew, chicken & dumplings, tuna/chunk chicken, tuna helper, macaroni & cheese, chunky soups, peanut butter & crackers
- 2 fruit cups and/or 100% juice boxes
- 2 snack items like granola bars, pop tarts, and pudding cups.
Schools also need your help! They are asking for donations to help expand the program.
They want to start providing food to students every weekend, adding the number of students they serve, and get more schools involved.
If you would like to take action and donate to the program, The Virginia Beach Schools Education Foundation will take tax deductible donations to their website, www.vbef.org.
You may also call Office of Community Engagement at 757-263-1936 or email jodyl.blaufus@vbschools.com.
