Volunteers and school staff in the Wright City school district donate hours of their time each week to help a group of students in need that most of them will never meet face to face — and that’s just fine with them.The volunteers work for Operation Backpack, an initiative that provides meals for children in low-income households to take home over the weekend. Many schools in the region have a version of the program, which fills a gap in weekend meals for students who rely on school lunches for food security. Local organizers said it was introduced to Wright City schools by a parent volunteer in 2012.“We rely a lot on donations — monetary or food,” said Carie Biggs, a district employee who serves on Operation Backpack’s organizing committee. The program started off helping about 50 students in Wright City, but Biggs said last year they grew that number to around 100. All the while, the volunteers never get to know the identities of who they’re helping.Here’s how it works. Counselors and nurses at each school identify students in need of the program’s help, then give a number to Operation Backpack for how many total lunches they need each week. Volunteers meet once a week in a little room in Wright City Middle School to pack bags of sandwiches, snacks, bottled water, breakfast items, canned goods or other food. The packed lunches then get sent to each school and distributed in a discreet way that protects students’ privacy.Volunteers from First State Community Bank in Wright City are among those who regularly come in to help pack food for the program. Bank employee Judy Sitze said they’ve been helping for three years as part of the bank’s community impact program. Sitze also said the program has personal meaning for her.“I was from a large family, and we didn’t have a lot of food, so I know what it’s like to go without food,” Sitze said. “I just think it’s a blessing that this gets done for kids who don’t have proper food.”It’s amazing to see kids who might not have much grow up to be positive influences in the community, like police officers or teachers, she commented.The program is always looking for more volunteers and donations. About eight to 10 people currently volunteer.R-II Food Service Director Glen Oberle said he uses monetary donations to buy whatever the program is missing to provide a balanced diet for the students. All the purchases are made at Hanny’s Market in Wright City. If there’s a week when volunteers fall through, Oberle and Biggs also fill in to get the meal orders bagged and back to the schools.Those interested in volunteering or donating to Operation Backpack in the Wright City district can call the school district’s main office at 636-745-7200 and ask to speak with Glen Oberle.

First State Community Bank employees Judy Sitze, left, and Crystal Kempernolte pack bagged lunches for Wright City students in need to take home on the weekend. They and other volunteers with Operation Backpack help food insecure students get the meals they need while they’re not in school. 

Adam Rollins photo