Our Mission: To Provide Quincy Public Schools, Pre-K through 5th grade students readily accessible food options over the weekend and breaks from school.
Sarah Stephens, Executive Director of Horizons Social Services, states there is ample data on the devasting impact food insecurity has on children. According to Feeding America, children facing food insecurity are sick more often and more likely to be hospitalized. They can suffer developmental impairments that limit their physical, intellectual, and emotional development. Children facing food insecurity often do worse in school and struggle with social and behavioral problems as they have less energy to deal with complex social interactions and adapt to environmental stressors. Kidzpacks is here to help.
Kidzpacks provides weekend meals and snacks to children at risk for food insecurity, accounting for approximately 58% of QPS students in Pre-K through 5th grade. Founded in 2018, the redistricting of Quincy Public Schools provided an opportunity for the individual backpack food programs in place at each school the ability to combine into a consolidated program, increasing access to resources, community grants, and partnerships, thus creating Kidzpacks. KidzPacks was led by volunteer director Jessica Dedert until August 2023, when Kidzpacks came under the umbrella of Horizons Soup Kitchen and Food Pantry. This was a natural fit due to the vast knowledge of procuring and delivering food that Horizon’s staff and volunteers carry out daily. Kidzpack is managed by Eric Thorsen, Director of Food Services for Horizions, who orders food for the program and coordinates the volunteer efforts.
Since the formation of Kidzpacks the program has grown from providing food to 530 students to now over 1,200 students. This reach has been made possible with joint efforts from Horizons Social Services, Quincy Public Schools, volunteers, and donors. Sarah further stated that research has shown positive impacts from weekend backpack food programs. A study completed by The University of Illinois found that there was a significant effect on increasing attendance on the days packs are distributed and that some families were able to go from having low food security to being food secure. Additional studies found that a weekend backpack food program resulted in increased reading and math scores, improved self-esteem, better relationships with faculty and classmates, and increased interest in school.
Sarah shared that volunteers prepare and distribute packs of food, including breakfast, lunch, and snack items, each week during the school year. The food is packed into donated grocery sacks, and volunteers drop the bags off at the six schools Kidzpacks serve on Friday mornings. Individual teachers then discreetly put the packs inside the backpacks of the children who qualify for Kidzpacks resources. This process allows Kidzpacks to overcome the barrier of transportation in providing food to children on the weekends and honors the children’s privacy and anonymity. Sarah also stated that a key feature of the Kidzpacks program is that it provides easily prepared foods that require minimal resources and can be prepared by young children if needed. They tailor the food sent home to ensure any canned items are pop-top; if preparation is needed, it is limited to microwave-safe items only. They further customize the packs for the littlest ones in the program by providing only ready-to-eat items. In addition to convenience and safety being a priority, Kidzpacks also wants to provide enjoyable choices for children.
Kidzpacks is fully funded by private donations and grants and powered by volunteers. Kidzpacks works diligently to minimize administrative costs and maximize their impact on those they serve.
To donate to Kidzpack, you can visit https://horizonsquincy.com/kidz-packs/ , or mail a check to KidzPacks at Horizons Social Services at 224 S. 8th Street Quincy, IL 62301. $100 provides a child with food on the weekends for the entire school year! For volunteer opportunities, please email eric@horizonsquincy.com
Submitted by: Sarah Stephens & Allison Housewright