Jackson County Food 4 Kids began with a simple but powerful mission in September 2014 at Riverside Elementary: to ensure that no child goes hungry when school is out. What started as a single-school effort quickly grew into a countywide commitment. Each week, the program provides food-insecure K–5 students with backpacks filled with nutritious meals to last through weekends and holiday breaks—covering every meal when access to school food is unavailable. Within just one year, the program expanded to serve all four elementary schools in Jackson County: Riverside, Pleasantview, Heron Lake–Okabena, and Immanuel Lutheran.

​

Building on this momentum, Jackson County Food 4 Kids took another important step in March 2017 by opening a Food Pantry at JCC Middle School in Lakefield, MN. This pantry empowers food-insecure students by allowing them to select food items on a weekly basis that meet their needs and preferences. Each visit provides an average of 10 pounds of food—enough to sustain students through weekends and school breaks.

​

Jackson County Food 4 Kids does more than provide food—it provides peace of mind. By ensuring children have reliable access to meals outside of school hours, the program helps students return to the classroom ready to learn, grow, and succeed without the worry of hunger weighing them down. NFP and the Community Pride Team are particularly proud of this program, as we know that 17% of rural households experience food insecurity.