Donate to the BackPack Program

I am writing to encourage our community to help those in need. March is National Nutrition Month and The Wave has partnered with Glacier Bank and Montana Food Bank Network to help provide meals for children in need.

The program is called the ‘BackPack Program’ and it provides healthy meals for kids to take home over the weekends and on holiday breaks, when they might not otherwise get enough to eat. The program operates now because of a one-time start up government grant.
This program is currently feeding 175 local children in Whitefish and Columbia Falls. These children rely on school lunch and breakfast programs during the week. The packs are distributed to the children at school in a discreet manner and contain the equivalent of four healthful meals/beverages in a kid-friendly pack.
One in five Montana children struggle with hunger and Flathead County is higher than the state average where the child food insecurity rate is nearly one in four (23.6 percent). We as a community can come together to fight child hunger by donating to the Backpack Program.
Here are some ways you can help:
• Make a donation at a Glacier Bank location. Any employee can assist you.
• Wave members can donate $1 a month with their monthly dues — sign up at the service desk.
• Make a donation of $200 or more at the WAVE and receive 50 percent off member enrollment fees. Information available at the service desk.
I encourage everyone to help however they can.
— Vicki L. Hill