Fruit Drive to Help Backpacks for Kids Program - KXNet - Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

Thousands of kids aren't getting the nutrition they need.

Some of those kids aren't eating healthy because they can't afford it.

Reporter Sarah Gustin explains the need for healthy food throughout the community.

Each year more and more kids throughout Bismarck-Mandan are going to bed hungry.

(Kristi Splichal / Community Action) "Started with about 50 and 60 backpacks going to 6 schools in Bismarck, now we are at around 480 going to 28 schools in Bis-Man."

In the past 7 years the Backpacks for Kids program has grown more than 8 times in size.

Every other week bags filled with food are delivered to schools for kids who don't get enough to eat at home.

(Kristi Splichal / Community Action) "Homeless, staying with friends, family, hotels, shelters, kids that just don't have enough on the weekends. They might be on free or reduced breakfast and lunch and during the weekend they are not getting enough to eat. So on Monday they come back and they are hungry."

Kristi Splichal is the program coordinator at Community Action.

Splichal says she plans for at least 5 to 10 kids to be added to the list every week.

(Kristi Splichal / Community Action) "We try to do a meal type like a canned dinner or peanut butter and jelly and we always do either a fruit cup, pudding cup, apple sauce cup, that kind of thing and snacks for something fun and there is always cereal bread. Everytime there is cereal and bread." 

This month they would like to fill those bags with some good nutrition and they need your help.

In honor of National Nutrition Month a "fruit" drive is being held at all Dan's locations in Bismarck-Mandan.

(Sarah Gustin / sgustin@kxnet.com) "Donating is easy when you know what to look for. Every item that's needed is marked with a little tag."

(Karen Ehrens / Registered Dietitian) "Many of the fruits are high in vitamin c, forms of vitamin A, fiber, potassium, so all those types of nutrients are there in the fruit."

You're chance to give kids who don't get enough to eat some healthy weekend snack options.

You'll find the "Recommended item" tags in the Canned and dried fruit sections.  

After purchasing, items can be placed in designated shopping carts at the front of the store.