Boys & Girls Club of Erie County

Boxes of cereal and cans of chili replaced textbooks and pencils in backpacks Friday at the Boys & Girls Club. The organization began a new initiative, The Backpack Program, that sends members of the Boys & Girls Club home with a backpack of food and snacks. Gil Vaughn, Boys & Girls Club executive director, said they recognized a need for students to have healthy food on the weekend, too. "We have talked to kids and we also recognized that we have a large free and reduced meals population at the school," Vaughn said. "The kids don't stop eating just because it's Friday."

The bags, which were donated by Wal-Mart to the Second Harvest Food Bank, were each filled with a box of cereal, a large can of chili, two packs of macaroni and cheese or Ramen noodles and juices and snacks, including fruit cups, granola bars and apple chips, among other things.

"We wanted to give them enough food for at least two meals, for at least two or three kids, for two days -- and some snacks," Vaughn said. "We want to make sure that the kids that lean on the free and reduced meals are being taken care of Saturday and Sunday also." Because the amount of food is expected to feed more than one child, only one is sent home per family.

"The kids are excited," Vaughn said. "They are really pumped about the backpacks."

The students are expected to return the backpacks after each weekend so they can be filled again.

The food for the bags is provided by Second Harvest Food Bank and the program is funded by the Murray and Murray Charitable Foundation. The Sandusky branch of the organization gave away 41-filled backpacks Friday, including five at the Remington Avenue location. The club intends to distribute backpacks at Sandusky Central Catholic School Sts. Peter and Paul Campus as well. "We're in the process of hunting for some more backpacks," Vaughn said. "We could use up to 60."