Blair County, PA — Mountain Lion Backpack Program managers say if support continues to dwindle away, the program will “go under,” and children in our area will risk having weekends without eating any food.
Mountain Lion Backpack Program leaders say the organization started back in 2011. Director, Billie Egan, says it was later taken over by Blair county community action, due to high demand and not enough people to meet it.
“A lot of these kids, it’s the only meal that they will see on those weekends. So, it’s up to us to make it happen for them, because no child should ever be left behind going hungry.” says Egan.
Egan says in recent times, the number of children in need of food for their program has doubled. She says they currently serve 1,100 students at the Altoona area elementary schools alone. That's one third of the total elementary student population. The school is one of eight the program currently serves.
Mountain Lion Backpack Program manager, David Aboud, says the organization appreciates what the community has done. He says the biggest food drive they have had resulted in a collection of 10,000 items. But, he says each week they give away 13,000.
“So that huge food drive won’t even last us a week. So, it’s very important we get all the help we can.” says Aboud. He says he hopes the turnout will build upon what they already have.
Directors say the cost of food going up, has been a significant cause for this spike in demand. Examples include parents of children simply not being able to afford the food.
“And know that you are helping those 1,100 children stay afloat for the weekends, so they can go back to school on Monday, and be able to fully focus, not worry about being hungry.” Egan says. Leaders say the company relies solely on local business and members of the public for funding. A link to the mountain lion backpack programs webpage so you can donate, can be found here.
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