Elementary-aged children are typically concerned with playing with friends, using their imaginations and having fun. But for 78% of children in the Ravenna school district who qualify for free or reduced-price meals, thinking about food may also occupy their time.
Raven Packs, a backpack program serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade students in Ravenna, serves as a beacon of hope for children facing hunger. Twice per month, kids receive bags filled with kid-friendly food items. The program, now three years old, has doubled the number of children it serves.
In addition to food, last year the program was able to surprise students with books. The Foodbank connected Raven Packs with 1,000 age-appropriate books through a grant from News 5 and the Scripps Howard Foundation.
“When we started Raven Packs, we wanted to be an investment in these kids’ lives, to encourage the growth of their family and to make our community stronger,” said Raven Packs co-founder Laura Wunderle. “To most of our families this will be a luxury — to end up with high-quality kids’ literature — it will be an extra special gift,” said Laura.
She explains that school district staff had a vision to create an organization focused on the kids who were asking teachers for food. They hoped to become an organization founded in the community, so that the community itself was supporting its youngest members.
And that’s exactly what Raven Packs achieves — serving the children of Ravenna through community partnerships and volunteer efforts. Its relationship with the Foodbank means it’s now a beneficiary of the new food delivery program, saving Laura multiple trips to the Akron warehouse because she can order more food than her minivan could accommodate. “Increasing our volume is no longer contingent on the health of my own vehicle or family at any given time. This partnership allows us to be more efficient and serve more kids.”
Ravenna schools and the community recognize the security and comfort Raven Packs provides the children of Ravenna.
“Hunger is a prevalent problem in most of our communities — it’s also very addressable. Sometimes we feel like we can’t make an impact when we’re facing these big community-wide problems, but through Raven Packs, we’ve seen that our community can and will rise to the occasion by helping to fund, pack and transport food bags to support our kids.”