Weyauwega-Fremont School District

Free or reduced cost breakfast and lunches at schools have helped relieve parents of this economic burden, but many children still go hungry during their weekends away from school. Project Backpack was launched in 2010 to help these children in need.

Please contact your School Counselor to learn more about Project Backpack in your school.

How Project Backpack Works

Each Friday afternoon (or the last day of the school week), participating students receive a backpack filled with healthy foods and snacks. On Monday (or the first day of the school week), the students return the empty backpack to their school to be restocked with food for the following Friday.

Backpacks include food for nutritious meals and snacks for the weekend. For longer weekend due to school vacations, additional items will be added to the backpacks. Project Backpack has a facility located at 724 Churchill Street in Waupaca, where we have ample space to store our food and pack the backpacks.

Who Can Participate?

Currently, Project Backpack provides food for hungry students at the Chain School, Waupaca Elementary, Middle and High Schools, the Waupaca Accelerated Learning Center, and Waupaca Head Start. Project Backpack also provides food for hungry students in the schools of Weyauwega-Fremont School District, Amherst Elementary, Middle and High Schools, Iola-Scandinavia Elementary School and Manawa Elementary and Jr./Sr. High School.

Possible participants are identified by teachers, guidance counselors, and school social workers; then, their parents are invited by letter to take part in the program.

To insure confidentiality, only a select number of school employees are aware of the names of the participants.

Shepherd on the Lakes

To learn more about Project Backpack, visit their website or contact Paula Thuerman: 715-258-8061 – paula@shepherdofthelakes.com