Downers Grove School District 58 would like to join National Blessings in a Backpack during National Volunteer Week to thank and celebrate the many local volunteers who help ensure students in need are fed during the weekends.
The Blessings in a Backpack (BIAB) goal is to “provide kids hunger-free weekends so that they are given the proper care and nutrition they need to become the best possible versions of themselves.”
BIAB for District 58 is closing the weekend hunger gap for almost 200 kids in District 58. Students in all 13 buildings of District 58 rely on the school's free and reduced-price meal program. Seventeen local community volunteers are committed to feeding them on the weekends and during school vacations or other non-attendance days.
“The volunteers make it possible to distribute ready-to-eat food to kids each Friday, which helps to ensure that students are well-nourished and ready to learn,” said District 58 Assistant Superintendent Jessica Stewart.
“Every volunteer is a vital link in our effort,” said Kim Venzon, Lead Program Coordinator for Blessings in a Backpack for Downers Grove District 58. “Our community volunteers who haul food and place orders as well as the building staff who take time out of their work day to place those bags into backpacks and bellies of kids who need it most,” she said.
The BIAB volunteers in District 58 are:
Community Volunteers:
Mike Noel, Chicago Chapter Board Member
Chris Sporer, Chicago Chapter Board Member
Kim Venzon
Tracy Wierda
Deirdre Boone
Laura McGreal
Kate Magnusson
Jen Meggos
Mary Beth Curran
Jamie Carlson
Tanya Marquez
Joy Myers
Kathy Hebert
Suzette Stapleton
Michelle Bliss
Emily Mittal
Corinne Cooper
District 58 Building Staff:
Chelsea Borchers
Jennifer Glyn
Lisa Reinhart
Janette Richelia
Amy D'Amico
Mallory Poe
Bebe Steele
Angie Cushing
Karen Krapil
Julie Ekman
Ann Russ
Barry Kincaid
Amy Peters
Deborah Franz
Carrie Schnieder
Caitlin Cholinski
Maggie Michels
Natalia Augustine
Diane Glowicki
Lynn Enright
Debbie Scarlati
The District 58/Downers Grove BIAB program is featured on the national BIAB website. National Volunteer Week was established in 1974 and is an opportunity to celebrate the impact of volunteer service and the power of volunteers to tackle society’s greatest challenges.
#biab4d58 #blessingsinabackpackchicago #dg58pride