Child Hunger Outreach Partners received a $10,000 First Federal Charitable Foundation grant it will use to support its Backpack Program and In-School Pantries that provide free food items to food-insecure children.

CHOP’s mission is to create an entire generation that doesn’t know hunger through innovative and collaborative partnerships.

Last year, the organization served more than 41,000 students weekly, including many of the 16,170 children in Luzerne, Schuylkill and Columbia counties who are designated as food insecure according to Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap data.

The organization plans to use the grant funding to support the continuation and expansion of its current Backpack Program and In-School Pantries, which are implemented through school partners to support school-age children directly.

Through the Backpack Program, CHOP sends two breakfasts, two dinners, two fruits or vegetables and five to 10 healthy snacks home with students every Friday.

The food bag is placed discreetly in the student’s backpack to ensure they can bring food home without any surrounding stigma. The food helps those students who rely on school meals for breakfast and lunch to maintain a stable food supply on the weekends.

The In-School Pantries, which are primarily used by older children and teens, provide open access to food items at school. The pantries are in a central, easily accessible area and are available to all students without restrictions on eligibility to help destigmatize the need for aid. The pantries are self-serve and students can take what they need throughout the day. They are encouraged to take enough food home for siblings as well.

Nonprofit organizations with a 501(c) (3) IRS designation located in Luzerne, Schuylkill, Carbon and Columbia counties are eligible to apply.

Any organization whose headquarters is in another county but services either Luzerne, Schuylkill, Carbon or Columbia counties may apply for a grant to be used in one of those counties.

For more information on the foundation or to obtain a grant application, visit www.1stfederalcharitable.org or email megankennedy7169@gmail.com.