Dan Harbeke, Director of Public Affairs for Union Pacific Railroad, and The Idaho Foodbank's President and CEO Karen Vauk.

The Idaho Foodbank is the proud recipient of a $2,500 grant from the Union Pacific Railroad Foundation.

The Foodbank’s Backpack Program provides free, nutritious, kid-friendly food to 2,000 elementary-aged children across the states who are at risk of hunger over weekends. With parental permission, backpacks are distributed discreetly to chronically hungry children on Fridays or the last day of the school week. The weekend backpack weighs about 6 pounds and is comprised of two breakfasts, two lunches, two dinners, and two snacks that are child-friendly, easy to prepare and non-perishable.

In order to meet the high nutritional standards necessary for this program, the Foodbank buys all the food for these 2,000 children every school week. This donation will provide 10 children with backpacks for an entire school year. If you would like to join the Union Pacific Railroad Foundation and our many other donors, click here for an easy donation form.

April Edson (left) and Andre Zeh (right) present Idaho Foodbank Vice President of Development Jenifer Johnson with a donation of $381.32, raised during the company's Weigh to Give Challenge.

During the Ameriben Wellness Committee’s six-week “Weigh to Give Challenge,” every pound lost equaled a dollar to The Idaho Foodbank.  There were also smaller challenges every week to help employees drop pounds. The members who did all the challenges were able to wear jeans for a week, and out of all 37 of those people, one person won a parking spot at work of his or her choice for two months.

Ameriben employees are also regular and enthusiastic volunteers at the Boise warehouse. We are most fortunate to have them as partners in the effort to end hunger in Idaho.