Kidney Beans and Biking

Number of Folks Helping Out Today: 5


Tomorrow, August 14th, is the Biking for Backpacks rally to raise money to fill  backpacks with  food  to distribute on weekends to  needy children during the upcoming school year. Out first project today was to assemble the "goodie bag" for the participants.   We assembled 50 bags and the hope is that more folks show up to ride. 

After that, we worked on labeling and re-packing over 2000 cans of red kidney beans!  A very productive day!

Finished Product...repacked cases if kidney beans ready for re-distribution to the food pantries!

Biking for Backpacks

Local Food Bank Seeks Donations
By Vanessa Grieve (vgrieve@journalnet.com)  
     POCATELLO — The shelves in the Idaho Foodbank warehouse are an indication that the usual September lull in food donation has arrived a month early.
   Joye Jones, branch manager for the Eastern Idaho Foodbank, said some food remains, but selection is limited.
   “We have food, just not a lot of variety,” Jones said. “This is typically a slow season. It hit earlier this year.”
   The Idaho Foodbank normally relies on third parties for food donations, said Jones.  
   With the need having gone up 40 percent in the last quarter, Jones said some of the increased demand has resulted from the poor economy and peoples’ unemployment benefits running out.
   For a fifth year, the Idaho Foodbank will also offer its backpack program, which provides backpacks containing a weekend’s worth of food to schoolchildren at risk of going without adequate nutrition.
   This year’s event, called Biking for Backpacks, will be held Aug.14. The event will   start and end at the Idaho Foodbank Warehouse, 555 S. First Ave., beginning at 9 a.m.
   Participants can ride to provide food-filled backpacks to hungry schoolchildren this fall.
   Jones said the program averages filling 600 backpacks a week during the school year.
   The Foodbank hopes to raise $1,500 through the event to fund the backpacks, which cost about $6.20 each to fill.
   There will be two bike routes for bicyclists to chose   from. The long ride is 26 miles to Inkom with an adult registration fee of $35. A shorter ride is 13 miles to Fort Hall Mine Road by Century High School with an adult entrance fee of $25. Fees for children ages 10-17 are $10 for either ride. Children under the age of 10arefree.Registrationwillgo until the morning of Aug. 14.
   A barbecue, open to the public, will be held at noon at the Foodbank after the biking event. Prices for adults are $5, and children are $2. The barbecue is included in the entrance fee.
   For more information on the backpack program or to register for the bike rides, go to  www.bikingforbackpacks.org