SP4K aims to end weekend hunger for children living in Texas by providing a backpack filled with nutritional kids snacks to needy children each Friday of the school year. A Bushland couple that discovered Amarillo was the largest city west of Dallas without a weekend backpack program started the program in their kitchen serving 10 kids. The program has grown to serve over 4,000 students in 24 scho
ol districts: Amarillo, Borger, Bushland, Canadian, Clarendon, Dalhart, Dimmitt, Dumas, Friona, Fritch, Happy, Hedley, Hereford, Highland Park, Lockney, Panhandle, Pampa, Perryton, River Road, Spearman, San Antonio, Stratford, Sunray, Tahoka, Tulia, White Deer, and Wildorado. Volunteers pack 10-12 nutritious snacks in plastic bags, deliver them to the school, and place them in backpacks to be discreetly sent home each Friday. The targeted students are those who live in food insecure homes as identified by the school staff (counselor, nurse, principal, and teachers). SP4K provides a bag for each elementary student (as well as any siblings at home not old enough to attend school). SP4K partnered with Baptist Community Services to serve as the 501c3 organization January 2013. BCS provides the administrative and infrastructure support for the program including a building for administering the program and staff. This partnership has allowed us to use 100% of all donations to buy food. The Retired Senior Volunteer Program joined SP4K in December 2010 to coordinate all volunteer needs of the organization. Since August 1, 2012 over 3,000 volunteers have served at SP4K. Over 40% of those volunteer are kids ages 5-18. The program dramatically expanded in 2011 with the addition of a warehouse generously donated by Jim Austin, Charlie Graham and Jerry Webb. August 2012 Labatt Food Service, based in San Antonio, has partnered with SP4K to help us expand the effort beyond Amarillo.
