Stocking Packs | Kidpacksforamerica

Stocking the Packs

Who will stock them, and how?

Use students!

In many high schools, students are in need of volunteer hours for the National Honor Society, Junior Kiwanis Club, their church youth groups, and other organizations. Those kids could come down once a week-- Tuesday through Thursday afternoons is the best time, because Monday you'll be collecting bags, and Friday, you'll be distributing them-- to stuff the bags. If you're in an elementary school, everyone can help out! Have each class take a turn stuffing bags at a designated time every week. If using students isn't an option, interested staff and faculty could stay after school once a week to stuff bags.

At my school, all of the food is organized by item on either shelves or tables, in a locked empty classroom. Once a week, a group of student volunteers goes into the room after school, grabs an empty bag, and makes their way around the room, slipping one of each food item into the backpack.

Once the backpack is full, drop it in a designated location, such as on a back table, and continue stuffing bags with food until all of the backpacks are full. (This will happen very quickly; the bags doesn’t take long to fill if a lot of students are working together!)

The Bags/Packs/Backpacks

The name of the game here is subtlety-- none of the school population is supposed to know which kids are receiving Kid Packs-- so the best bag you can use is a plain, black backpack. I’ve also seen schools use black drawstring backpacks and reusable bags from big box stores, although there aren’t as subtle.

Use some of your fundraising/grant money and buy some plain backpacks, or have them donated from a local store. You might also go to your local thrift store and purchase used, nondescript backpacks that look the same as any other backpack students are wearing to school regularly; just give them a good wash before you use them!