Warren County R-III Assistant Superintendent Gregg Klinginsmith’s office could easily be mistaken as a food pantry. Closet shelves are filled full of items such as canned goods, oatmeal and juice boxes. More food is stacked and stored in corners and other unused areas of the room. It certainly doesn’t fit the bill of an office belonging to one of the district’s top administrators. Office aesthetics don’t matter to Klinginsmith. Feeding hungry children is what motivates him and he is focused on a new program to alleviate hunger. Operation Backpack is filling a huge gap for low-income families residing in the R-III district. Specifically, the weekend no longer means empty stomachs for some students. Spearheaded by Erin Waters, who is volunteering as the program director, Operation Backpack provides food at no charge to feed school-age children each weekend. Waters was a member of the district’s restructuring committee last year when she learned of the high number of students who go hungry while at home. For some, the meals they receive at school are the only ones they eat each week. According to R-III officials, around 50 percent of the 3,000 students enrolled in the district participate in the free and reduced lunch program. That number jumps to 60 percent for students in kindergarten through fifth grade. After learning about and researching Operation Food Search, which reaches thousands of students in St. Louis city and St. Charles County each week, Waters met with Dr. Tom Muzzey and Klinginsmith late last year and won their support. In February, approval was extended to allow the program to be operated under the umbrella of the district’s WISE Foundation, a nonprofit organization formed to support the district in charitable and educational purposes. “I didn’t know about the need in the community,” Waters said. “I didn’t know our free and reduced lunch population was so high. Sometimes you live in your own little bubble with your own life and kids. The more I looked into the program, the more I learned. I couldn’t help but not want to do it.” Soon after, Klinginsmith’s office was turned into a makeshift food pantry though Waters is hopeful a more permanent home can be found in one of the three elementary schools this approaching school year. Each week, Waters with assistance from district staff, pack the bags with food donated to the cause. Then on Fridays, the bags are distributed and placed inside the backpack of the students when no one else is around to keep the identity of the participants confidential. The students who receive food weekly are identified by school counselors. “It has been nothing but positive,” Waters said. “It has been really overwhelming. From what (the counselors) tell me, the kids and the families are really appreciating it.” Each bag that is provided to a student contains enough food to cover two breakfasts, two lunches, two drinks (one of which is milk) and snacks. Some of the donated food items that are accepted include cereal, oatmeal, peanut butter, canned fruits and vegetables, soup and pudding. It costs about $5 to feed each student per week, or $20 per month, according to Waters. To help, businesses, group and individuals can make food or monetary donations at the R-III district’s central office at 302 Kuhl Ave. in Warrenton. All monetary donations are payable to the WISE Foundation Backpack Program and are tax deductible. The generosity from the public has allowed the program to achieve early success. When the first bags were distributed on March 2, 15 students had been identified as needing assistance. One month later, interest nearly doubled as 28 students started receiving food. This summer, Waters set up three distribution dates for parents to pick up a box of food to cover a 10-week period. The program was initially limited to only elementary students from kindergarten through fifth grade. Waters said the program will be expanded to Black Hawk Middle School and Warrenton High School students when classes resume in August. The Wright City R-II School District is also considering implementing a similar program to make sure its students have food available during a weekend. “I’ve been amazed by the community support for this program,” Klinginsmith said. “It really warms your heart to see such compassion from the community. The district has been happy to work with Mrs. Waters and the WISE Foundation to see the vision of the backpack program  come to a reality.” Waters has been thankful for the support received from the R-III administration and employees and the community. She is ecstatic about the program’s future and believes the first few months have provided a stepping-stone to help more and more families. “We are blessed that people are so wiling to help the kids,” she said. “I look forward to packing those bags.”