Districts in Action Featured Project

GBU District 45–Altoona, Pennsylvania, selected the Altoona Mountain Lion Backpack Program as its Districts in Action project for this year. The officers felt that there is a great need in the Altoona area to provide food to needy children. These are families that depend on the free and reduced-price food program to feed their children when the children are in school. The children often don’t have enough food on weekends.

The Program feeds an average 1,000 Altoona Area Elementary School children every week and is part of the national Feeding America network BackPack Program.

Funding received is used to purchase food that will be placed in the backpacks. The average cost is $3 a backpack, which is about $100 for 1 student per year. $2,500 will purchase food for 25 children for 1 school year or 32 weekends.

The Mountain Lion BackPack Program is a 501(c)(3) non-profit program through the Blair County Community Action. The mission of the Mountain Lion BackPack Program is to provide elementary children in the Altoona Area School District with food for the weekends when other resources may not be available to them.

In providing school children with food, we hope to nourish their bodies, prepare their minds and encourage their spirits.

We hope to support the teachers of our school district with this program in that students will be more physically prepared to attend school regularly, focus more intently on their lessons and demonstrate healthy attitudes.

We hope to be an encouragement to families who are struggling, to both lift a burden and show that their community cares.

We hope to bring our community together in this effort to touch and change lives, serving families notonly with food but also with love and compassion.

On April 30, 2021, District 54 Treasurer Betty Richardson presented Altoona Mountain Lion Backpack Program Director, Amber Smith, the member's donation checks as well as the matching funds donation check from GBU. The presentation was at the warehouse where the food is stored and packed.

The Altoona Mountain Lion Backpack Program website is www.mountainlionbackpackprogram.org.

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