Then and Now
8 Years Later.....
It is amazing to think that the Pack is in its' 8th year of operation. In this short period of time, our numbers have soared from feeding 200 children our first year to reaching over 1,000 at the end of last school year. We are well over half way to exceed those numbers for this year. This is only made possible by individuals and organizations who care about helping to see that students in McLennan County are not food deprived. It truly does take all of us to help the over 26,000 children in our county have food security.
In addition to our current mission, we are very close to setting up a summer feeding program. Of course, we will have to start on a very small scale, iron out all of the details, and see where we are. We are dedicated to reaching as many children as possible and in order to do this, we will need your help...both financially and more food drives.
Non-Profit Starts Brewing In Starbucks
It was a brief meeting over coffee at the Starbucks – Wooded Acres, when Jane Bounds and Cliff Reece found themselves discussing the silent hunger struggle-taking place in Waco, TX.
Reece, Director of Child Nutrition Services for Sodexo, witnessed the need first hand in public school cafeterias. He and Bounds discussed the statistic that one in four children in Texas under the age of five is “Food Insecure” – which is defined as not knowing where his or her next meal will come from. Bounds states, “I was heart broken.” There the two were warm, cozy and sharing a cup of coffee realizing they must do something to serve these children who could not help themselves over the weekends.
Reece, Director of Child Nutrition Services for Sodexo, witnessed the need first hand in public school cafeterias. He and Bounds discussed the statistic that one in four children in Texas under the age of five is “Food Insecure” – which is defined as not knowing where his or her next meal will come from. Bounds states, “I was heart broken.” There the two were warm, cozy and sharing a cup of coffee realizing they must do something to serve these children who could not help themselves over the weekends.
The duo started forming a plan right then and there. A napkin held an outline. Who could they get involved and how? Ever mindful, that children left school on Friday and may not eat again until Monday morning, the two held informal meetings at their “Satellite Office” aka Starbucks – Wooded Acres.
The result: Although still in its infancy, Pack of Hope formed. Pack of Hope sent out the first runs of backpacks on September 9, 2011.
Cliff Reece, board member and Director of Child Nutrition Services for Waco, stated, “Our mission is simple. We work with nine school districts within McLennan County and distribute weekend backpacks to the students in the most need.”
Meet The Board
The Pack of Hope board members deserve a great deal of credit for their time, dedication and enthusiasm. The Pack of Hope board is comprised solely of volunteers. The officers are pictured below. Other board members include: Marth Bauer, Pat Brittain, Sheree Corn, Abby Garrett, Stanley Harris, Linda King, Dr. Jerry Maze, Dillon Meek, Dwayne Romine, Michele Ryan, Jill Sanders, Sonia Sarricolea, Trey Scherwitz, Dr. Sharon Shields, Dr. Sandra Tlbert, Dihn Tran, Lisa Wilhelmi, and Cynthia Wittenburg.
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Jane BoundsPresident and Co-Founder -
Hazel RoweVice President -
Cliff ReeceSecretary and Co-Founder -
Terry LechlerTreasurer
If you are interested in becoming a Pack of Hope board member, email us at packofhope@gmail.com.
Should you need information or copies of documents regarding the McLennan County Pack of Hope, please email packofhope@gmail.com or call 254-772-0975.
