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Weekend Backpack Food Program - Catpacks and PupPacks

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Weekend Backpack Food Program - Catpacks and PupPacks

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The Catpack/PupPack helps students in Scottsbluff/Gering Community receive food for the weekends.

The Weekend Food Backpack Program was begun in the spring of 2009 when we became aware of schoolchildren who ate free lunches at school during the week, but went home to empty cupboards on the weekends. We started with 18 packs in Scottsbluff that year, and the following January added a pack program in Gering. By the time school was out in 2010 we were sending home nearly 100 packs a week in the two districts. This spring, as we complete our second year, we are providing 180 packs per week for hungry children, and estimate that we will have filled over 7000 packs since the program’s inception. The backpack program is a collaborative effort of the Scottsbluff and Gering Schools and the Cooperative Ministry Council, a 501 (c)(3) charity, and all funds are raised and administered by the Council. 100 % of money donated to the program goes to buy food for the backpacks. Students are referred by counselors, teachers and office staff, and the only requirement we have is that the families qualify for the free lunch program. Packs contain an assortment of food, with an eye to providing as much nutritious food as we can with our available funds – approximately 15 items at a cost of about $5.00 per pack. Every week packs contain a piece of fresh fruit, an envelope of powdered milk that makes a quart, a canned meal, cereal, instant oatmeal, a box of juice, a cup of fruit, and a granola bar. In addition, we send packages of cheese crackers, a box of macaroni and cheese, Ramen noodles, a small treat, and often soup with crackers. Once a month we include a small jar of peanut butter and other foods are added as budget and donations provide.

09/30/2026

So proud of these Gering High Students for all their help in giving back to the community by helping with the Backpack food delivery. They truly understand what giving back to the community means.

09/24/2026

Please, if you can spare an hour a week to help this program. Please let us know

09/10/2026

We are still looking for someone to help.

08/24/2026

We are still in need of a recycler. Please consider helping us once a week after our crews pack.

08/18/2026

We want to thank all that helped this past few weeks in getting us ready to fill backpacks. The Gering Football and Cheer Teams, the Harder family, Fresh Foods, Main Street Market, the delivery truck drivers, Heritage and Residency ladies just to name a few.

08/12/2026

The Gering Puppack Program is in need of someone willing to come by every week to Riverstone Bank in Gering that would be our recycler! You can come Thursday or Friday during banking hours to haul the recycling away. Please message here if you are interested.

06/13/2026

Thank you to and Aaron Raines for the amazing donation to the backpack program. It is groups and people like this who make it possible for us to feed kids with food insecurities!

05/05/2026

We are grateful to Riverstone Bank,Gering, and the Presbyterian Church for their ongoing support in providing storage facilities and accommodating our weekly meal packing efforts as we conclude the school year.

05/01/2026

These kids show up weekly to do a lot of heavy lifting for CatPack kiddos!

This week’s Cat Pack Delivery Crew!

04/28/2026

Address

P. O. Box 733
Scottsbluff, NE
69363

Telephone

+13086315533

Website

facebook.com

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