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Local nonprofit Action Packs outlines weekend food packs for ROCORI students
Summary
Action Packs, now a 501(c)(3), told the ROCORI School Board it distributes about 100 weekend food packs per week across preschool–12 and relies on volunteers, local grocery partners and roughly $5 per pack in donations.
Action Packs, a community-run weekend food program that became a 501(c)(3) in 2024, presented to the ROCORI Public School District board, describing a program that delivers about 100 bags of food each week to students from preschool through high school.
The presentation on the nonprofit’s history and operations explained the program’s goal: to supplement students’ weekend meals so they receive nutrition comparable to what they get at school. Carolyn Stang, director of Action Packs, told the board the program started in February 2014 after founder Debbie Nelson saw unmet needs among students and patterned the effort on similar programs in larger communities.
Stang said packs contain a mix of breakfast items, lunch equivalents and snacks chosen for nutrition and likelihood that children will eat them. She said the program tries to get many items “at cost” from local grocery partners Teals and Richmond Food Pride and supplements where necessary with bulk purchases from retailers. Stang said the program spends nearly all donations on food and has very low administrative costs because volunteers run packaging and distribution.
Families enroll through school offices; the school staff receive and discretely place packs in lockers or backpacks to avoid singling out recipients. Stang described the program as need-based rather than income-tested; sign-ups are available year-round and the organization also supplies extra packs for longer school breaks.
Board members asked about volunteer opportunities and outreach. Stang said volunteer groups meet every other Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in the DES building to assemble packs and that social media, a website (www.recoriactionpacks.com) and occasional newspaper notices are the primary public channels. She said donations can be monetary (preferred) or food drives, and she gave the board a per-student-per-week cost estimate of about $5; she also said sponsoring a student for a full school year is roughly $175.
The board thanked Action Packs for its work and volunteers. The presentation did not request board action; it served to inform the district and encourage staff referral and community support.
