Left to right: Amelia Valesek, Idaho Foodbank Grant Coordinator; Janelle Billings, Assistant Vice President, Bank of America; Karen Vauk. Idaho Foodbank President and CEO; and Teri McColly, Idaho Foodbank Donor Relations Manager.

The Idaho Foodbank has been awarded a $10,000 grant from the Bank of America Foundation to help sustain the Foodbank’s nutrition programs. The Bank of America Foundation has been a strong supporter of the Foodbank’s services and programs for several years.

Nutrition programs provided by the Foodbank include Cooking Matters, Backpack Program, School Pantry, Mobile Pantry and Picnic in the Park.

Cooking Matters is a free, six-week class that teaches parents and kids how to shop for and prepare healthy, inexpensive meals.

The Backpack Program supplies nutritious, wholesome food over school-year weekends to children at risk of hunger when they do not have access to school food programs. There are currently over 2,000 Idaho children who receive the weekly backpacks.

School Pantry also provides an accessible source of food assistance to low-income students and their families. The Mobile Pantry program distributes dry and frozen food to underserved, usually rural communities.  The Picnic in the Park Program provides nutrition for food-insecure children during the summer months when the school lunch they depended on is unavailable. The program helps fill the nutritional gap so children can get the food they need.

The Idaho Foodbank thanks the Bank of America for this generous gift to help keep these important programs active in Idaho.

Jorge Gonzalez and Jennifer Thurman of W.W. Grainger Co. flank Karen Vauk, President and CEO of The Idaho Foodbank. Jorge and Jennifer are holding Backpack refills like ones their donation will help purchase.

The Grainger Foundation, Lake Forest, Ill., has donated $7,000 to The Idaho Foodbank to support its Backpack Program. This is the fourth time the foundation, through the Grainger Community Grant Program, has chosen to support the Foodbank.

This donation is especially meaningful because it was recommended by employees at W.W. Grainger, Inc.’s Boise location, many of whom volunteer at the Foodbank.

Each week during the school year, the Backpack Program provides 2,000 elementary-age children with nourishing food for the weekend. These special packs weigh about six pounds and include enough nonperishable, child-friendly, and easy to prepare food for two breakfasts, two lunches, two dinners, and two snacks.

When the children go back to school Monday they are focused on learning, not hunger.

The Grainger donation will provide nearly 30 children with Backpack refills for an entire school year.

Grainger has been a part of the Boise business community for more than 30 years as the leading broad-line supplier of maintenance, repair, and operating products. We are sincerely grateful to the Foundation and the caring employees who chose to believe hungry children are not inevitable.