Article date: November 20, 2007

Released by:  Terri Cook - GCCISD

            Over 120 Baytown families will give thanks for the generosity of others after receiving complete holiday dinners through their children’s schools on Nov. 20.

            The Thanksgiving project was an extension of the Backpack Buddies program currently in place at three Goose Creek CISD schools.  This program provides food for the weekend—items such as peanut butter, canned tuna and chicken, cereal, fruit juice and fruit cups, and soups and stews—for families in need identified by campus administrators, counselors and family involvement coordinators.

            Jana Hobbs, a life-long Baytonian and product of Goose Creek schools, started the Backpack Buddies program in Baytown when she realized the need here.  The program, which Hobbs originally read about in The Wall Street Journal, provides food weekly for economically disadvantaged families through grant monies and donations.

            “We truly appreciate the involvement of Backpack Buddies in our schools,” said Diana Cox, executive director of elementary education.  “The program’s generosity in providing families with groceries for the weekend helps to ensure that no child goes hungry when he or she is away from school.  Research shows that when children are well nourished, they are better able to concentrate on learning.”

            According to Cox, Hobbs approached the school district with the idea for implementing the Backpack Buddies program for the 2007-08 school year.  The pilot project is currently in place at San Jacinto, Ashbel Smith, and Carver elementary schools, where approximately 300 children discreetly receive the nutritional, non-perishable food items after school every Friday.

            Hobbs, who serves as director of the Backpack Buddies program, later approached Cox and Pete Cote, executive director of support services, with the idea of providing complete Thanksgiving dinners to the identified families.  Families were asked to sign up for the meals, and the dinners were distributed to parents at the schools on Tuesday.

            “This project was a wonderful gift to our families. We asked that they come to pick up their dinners sometime after noon, and most were picked up by 12:45--that is how excited they were to be getting some help in providing a traditional Thanksgiving dinner to their families,” said Stefanie Noble, Carver principal. “The dinners include turkey, dressing and gravy, two side dishes and rolls--all the trimmings of a real feast! What a wonderful way to ensure our children our eating nutritious meals when our school doors are closed for a holiday! Ms. Hobbs and her staff work so hard for our community and we are indebted to her.”

            Cox explained that the Thanksgiving project was a team effort, with representatives from Backpack Buddies, New Journey Church, Goose Creek CISD’s Warehouse/School Nutrition Services and the respective schools all involved in making it a success.

            Hobbs’s Tuesday was a busy one as she celebrated her own birthday, welcomed a newborn nephew, and organized the enormous task of distributing the Thanksgiving meals and weekly backpacks to families.  In spite of the hectic pace, Hobbs says it’s all worth it.

            “It’s just that feeling of knowing that on Thanksgiving, these families will have a really good day without some of the worries they might otherwise have,” she said.  “That helps to take some of the stress out of people’s lives.”

            “This project is a perfect example of how our entire community comes together to help meet the needs of the children of our district,” she said.  “We feel very fortunate to be a part of this endeavor and to play a role in making the holidays wonderful for our Goose Creek CISD families.”   

~ Baytown Sun