Lehighton Area School District received a $6,821.93 donation from Giant Food Store in Lehighton on Monday with funds used to support the district’s “Backpack Buddies” program.

Launched in 2019, the program provides food and other essential items weekly to food-insecure students.

“Our goal is to make sure our students who are in the greatest need are getting their backpacks filled with a variety of food items each week,” said Rebecca Karpowicz, Lehighton Area School District’s business affairs and human resources coordinator. “We try to pick out things they can easily prepare at home in the microwave as opposed to the stove.”

“Backpack Buddies,” she added, ensures students have access to food when school cafeterias are closed. The donation from Giant comes from a customer initiative where shoppers can round up their grocery bill totals at checkout.

“We don’t want to see any children go hungry,” Michelle Rex, manager of the Giant Food Store in Lehighton, said. “It’s heartbreaking, which is why this program is so important to Giant and our employees. We’re proud to be partners with the school district and look forward to continuing our support.”

Karpowicz emphasized the program’s discreet nature.

“We serve around 70 students each week,” she explained. “Teachers and guidance counselors recommend students for the program, but we don’t know their identities. We just know how many bags to prepare, and the staff handles distribution.”

The impact of the program, she said, is undeniable.

“Students have told us how much it means to them to be able to contribute at home by bringing food back each week,” Karpowicz shared. “Giant’s partnership has been invaluable. It allows us to easily choose the items we provide to the students. In addition to food, we sometimes include toiletries because everything is so expensive these days. We want to help out in any way we can.”

Rex acknowledged the current economic climate when evaluating the importance of the program.

“Everyone is feeling the pinch of inflation,” she noted. “The rising prices of everything make programs like Backpack Buddies even more critical.”