In partnership with the Lake Andes Food and Wellness Council, acommitteeof AndesCentral staff members is working to form a Backpack Program to send food items home twice a month with participating students. The South Dakota State University Extension Office conducted a needs assessment for this type of program in our community; the results indicated a lot of support. Of the 66 community members that responded to the survey, 57 agreed or strongly agreed that a Backpack Program would be beneficial for the children in our community.

Our students voted on a name for the program this week, and Eagles Eat was the winner. Our goal is to have the first date of distribution for our Eagles Eat program before winter break in the Fall 2024 semester.

Our next steps are to first find the funding, determine what kind of snacks to send home with our students, and then coordinate volunteers. Many hands will make light work to best support our students, so stay tuned for more updates. If you have any questions or would like to volunteer or donate for any part of the program, please contact Synnora Wilbur at synnora. wilbur@k12.sd.us.