GOSHEN COUNTY – It’s been nearly a decade since Torrington Middle School (TMS) began a weekly distribution of non-perishable food to students, and thanks to district staff and volunteers, the Backpack Program – and recipients – are just as nourished as ever.
Every Wednesday at 5 p.m., with a few exceptions for holidays and inclement weather, volunteers gather at TMS to fill backpacks full of non-perishable food items. Students then take the backpacks home over the weekend to ensure they have enough food to sustain them until the next school day.
While the program originally served only TMS students, the backpacks are now distributed throughout Goshen County, according to District Parent Coordinator Rocio Ruiz.
“We give the amount of kids (participating) to the Wyoming Food Bank of the Rockies, and they choose the menu and send out our food monthly,” she said. “We have all these college students who volunteer, as well as Torrington High School’s cross-country team. The secretary from the LaGrange school, Sydney Johnson and her husband, deliver to LaGrange and Southeast students.”
Ruiz said filling the backpacks takes approximately 30 minutes, depending on the number of volunteers. When winter weather hits, volunteers fill the backpacks during the day and school custodians deliver the foodstuffs to students.
“Right now, we’re filling 320 backpacks (a week),” she said – the number recently dropped from 340. “It’s not income-based. We provide breakfast, lunch, supper and a snack for the weekend. The food’s ready to go, or almost ready to eat – sometimes you have parents who work on the weekend or you might have parents who don’t cook – and this is a good way for kids to get their nutrition.”
Last week’s items consisted of canned stew, cornflakes and more. The program also receives donations from businesses and organizations in the community, including breakfast items from Pinnacle Bank, monetary gifts from St. Joseph’s Children’s Home and the Torrington Rotary Club.
Volunteers will not be filling backpacks this week due to the Thanksgiving holiday, but anyone interested in donating time or food items are welcome to stop by TMS most Wednesdays at 5 p.m., or call Ruiz at the Central Administration building at (307) 532-2171.
“We especially need help over the holidays when the college kids are on break,” Ruiz said. “We do make sure everyone gets their backpack.”
