Samaritan Kitchen of Wilkes Inc. of Wilkesboro, North Carolina

Samaritan Kitchen of Wilkes opened in March 1998. Since then we've grown considerably. What started out as one program, the Saturday Delivery program, which fed 60 families every Saturday, now has two large feeding programs the Client Choice Pantry and Project: BackPack. The Client Choice Pantry provides food to families in need. Along with a volunteer, clients walk through a grocery style setting selecting the items that their family prefers to eat; i.e., Cheerios or Shredded Wheat, Chicken Noodle Soup or Vegetable Soup. Clients select items based on how many members are in their family. Local grocery stores donate short-dated breads and meats. In 2014, the program was open a total of 168 days; number of families served totaled 3,427; total number of individuals within those families totaled 8,673; total pounds of food and other product (toilet paper, diapers, cleaners, health & beauty items, etc.) distributed for year totaled 200,490 pounds; and the number of new families added was 186. Project: BackPack. At the beginning of each school year parents are informed of our program to assist families with children in danger of going hungry over the weekend. Those interested may apply through their school counselor to have a backpack sent home with their child at the end of each week containing two breakfasts (packs of oatmeal), two lunches (beans and franks, cup a soup, etc.), two dinners (ravioli, tuna, etc.), a sleeve of crackers and snacks. Approximately every six weeks they also take home a pound jar of peanut butter. Periodically, as funds and donations allow, we also send home soap, shampoo, toothbrushes, toothpaste and other health and beauty items. At the end of the school year the last bag sent home is a “summer survival” bag with extra food, activities, health & beauty items, and any other items we have received that a child may enjoy. Last year, the program was open 32 weeks; distributing 21,058 bags of food (126,348 meals) which equated to a total of 93,499 pounds for the calendar year with an average of 623 children being served each week. Approximately one-half of the food for Project: Backpack is donated; the rest is purchased through funds from grants and other donors. Currently Samaritan Kitchen is serving approximately 650 children weekly. This program costs $7.80 per child, per week. This school year we will be providing for students for 35 weeks so the annual cost, per student, is $273.00.