Published: November 29, 2008 11:41 pm         

Money being raised for local Food 4 Kids backpack program

Staff reports



Enid News & Eagle is hoping readers continue a recent holiday tradition of providing funding to prevent chronic hunger among local children by donating to a Community Christ-mas Card.

“For the past few years, the News & Eagle has invited readers to sign a Community Christ-mas Card that will be published in one of our holiday editions,” said Cindy Allen, managing editor. “All the money raised from this Community Christmas Card is donated to the local Food 4 Kids backpack program.”

The last three years, the Community Christmas Card has raised more than $13,000 for the local Food 4 Kids program sponsored by Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma.

Readers may place their name on this card by donating a minimum of $1 per name on the card.

All the money raised in this effort goes to Enid Food 4 Kids program. The goal is to raise enough money to provide backpacks to 15 to 20 children. It takes about $325 to feed a child for a year through the weekend backpack program.

Food 4 Kids pays for students identified as chronically hungry to receive backpacks full of healthy snack items. The backpacks are given to the students each Friday and contain enough food items to sustain the children throughout the weekend.

Gail Wynne, a local board member of Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma and coordinator of the local backpack program, credits the News & Eagle’s Community Christmas Card campaign for helping feed more children in the Enid area. The program serves well over 300 local children each year, and that number is growing.

Allen said the Community Christmas Card has been successful because people become aware of the need through the newspaper’s publicity of the program.

“Many people donate more than $1 per name for the card,” she said. “The first year’s campaign raised $3,000 and the last two campaigns have raised more than $5,000.”

She said the program also is a good holiday fundraiser because it’s affordable. It’s also a good fundraiser for local groups, such as Sunday school classes or civic organizations to donate any amount they want as a group.

“We’ve had families come in and sign four names, but give $100,” Allen said. “We have had church groups raise money among themselves and donate as a group. The last two years we have anonymous donors even give $1,000 to the card. Every single dollar goes to help a local child.”

To participate in the Com-munity Christmas Card, come by the News & Eagle office during weekday business hours — 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. — or mail contributions and names to Community Christmas Card c/o Enid News & Eagle, P.O. Box 1192, Enid, OK, 73702.