First Day In A New Space: Backpack Program's New Location Streamlines Student Food Access
By Cole Goodwin
The Dalles, OR September 14, 2023– Today the Community Backpack Program had their first day of operation at their new location at Columbia Gorge Food Bank located at 3525 Crates Way, in The Dalles. Volunteers packed 195 bags with take-home weekend meal supplies for food insecure students in the area.
The Backpack Program has been feeding youth in need since 2013. But after ten years of operating out of a tiny room in the First Methodist Church, they’ve finally been upgraded to a bigger space that makes the work much easier, breezier, and faster.
A photo shows the small room in the Methodist Church that the Backpack Program used to operate in. Contributed photo.
Glenis Schreffler, one of the co-founding volunteers of the organization said that the move has empowered them to get three days worth of work done in a single day.
Prior to the move food would be delivered on Wednesday, then unpacked, and shelved by volunteers. Then on Thursday volunteers would pack the bags with food. Then on Friday volunteers would come in to ensure that the bags would be picked up.
Now the process is more seamless and allows for a greater number of volunteers to be working at once.
“We’re so grateful for Columbia Gorge Food Bank for hosting us here,” said Tyler Beane-Kelly, one of the co-founding volunteers of the Backpack program.
Schrefller and Beane-Kelly credited Sharon Thornberry, the former Executive Director of the food bank, for getting the new food bank built and inviting their program to operate in their space.
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