The Community Foundation of Greene County (CFGC) received multiple donations from individuals, businesses and foundations to assist K-12 students in all Greene County schools.
In addition to a few anonymous individual donors, the following organizations participated: Waynesburg Lions Club, A.C.T.S. of Greene County, First Federal Savings and Loan Association, Community Bank, Greene County Association of School Retirees, FirstEnergy Foundation, Consol Cares Foundation, EQT Foundation, Essential Foundation (Peoples Gas), NiSource Foundation (Columbia Gas), DT Midstream, the William and Shirley Hanley Weekend Backpack Food Fund, and Waynesburg University Bonner Scholars.
CFGC has been involved with the Weekend Backpack Food Program since the early 2010s. The program provides a bag of non-perishable food for school-aged children in need at each of the five Greene County school districts and the Greene County Career and Technology Center.
Jim Elsenheimer, the Food Service Director for West Greene School District has been involved for the past 12 years. “We do the best we can do to help people,” Elsenheimer said. “Child hunger is rampant in this country and the food programs are one way to address that. It’s great to know that we live in a county where businesses, churches, and the people know they need to help one another,”
West Greene has started a pantry program, which is something that Elsenheimer hopes other schools will implement. “We realize that food insecurity issues don’t end when kids go from elementary to junior high. We established a pantry program to help those older students that may have food insecurity issues at home. I would encourage other schools to do that as well.”
To learn more about the Weekend Backpack Food Program, or how to make a potential tax-exempt gift to the program, contact the Community Foundation by phone at 724-627-2010, email at cfgcpa@gmail.com or go to www.cfgcpa.org.
The Community Foundation of Greene County is a private, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization and a central philanthropic vehicle in the county for donations of various types and sizes.
This is an awesome idea, but wouldn’t making all school lunches and breakfasts free for students have a similar impact?