Blessings In A Backpack

By Scott Sarvay

June 18, 2010 Updated Dec 2, 2008 at 11:38 AM EST

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (Indiana's NewsCenter) - Fort Wayne’s "Blessings in a Backpack" program is expanding into one of the largest of its kind in the country.

Next month, Fairfield Elementary School will become the third city school added to the nationwide program that sends children home on Fridays with backpacks full of nutritional food.

94-percent of Fairfield students qualify for reduced lunches.

The district is seeing better attendance on Fridays and improved reading scores as a result of the backpack program.

Wendy Robinson says, “Every weekend when kids go home, it's just a lot of worrying for teachers about students until they come back on Monday. At these 3 schools we rest just a little easier knowing that they're taken care of for 6 meals, we're still finding ways to measure how successful this is.”

The Backpacks Program could eventually expand to other school districts.

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