Backpack Program

Sheridan has partnered with the Food Bank of Lincoln and Lincoln Public Schools in their Backpack program. The backpack program provides food for children and their families to help them make it through the weekend. The goal of the program is to provide a backpack of food for at least 30% of families on free/reduced lunch at all LPS elementary schools.

We are distributing backpacks at Holmes and Arnold Elementary Schools and provide a total of 135 backpacks a week, or approximately 675 meals per week. For many of these families these backpacks fill a need for their children that they cannot meet themselves. The backpacks are handed out on Friday after school, and often children who are not on the list wait to see if another child is sick so that they can take home a backpack of food.

The program uses 6 menus that are rotated weekly and include fresh fruit weekly and a milk voucher monthly. A sample menu includes: pancake mix, syrup, pop tarts, juice concentrate, egg voucher, an apple and orange.

Volunteers are needed to help make this ministry a reality.

There are three main components to the program.  Volunteer schedules are managed through our online scheduling tool available at www.sheridanlutheran.org/serve.  For more information on using this tool please review our Getting Started document.   Full details for each of the shifts and instructions are available in Volunteer Matters. When you signup for a shift you will be sent instructions for your shift. For more information on how to get involved with the Backpack Program please contact us Pastor John at 423-4769 or serve@sheridanlutheran.org

• Pack the food sacks - During the week volunteers are needed to pack the food into sacks, which will be delivered to the schools. The packing group meets at the Retreat Center at noon on Sundays.
• Deliver the food sacks to schools - The food for both schools can be picked up anytime after Sunday afternoon.  Ideally you will have a pickup, SUV, or minivan to use for delivery, especially for those delivering to Holmes.  You may also want to bring with a helping hand to help load and unload the totes since they are rather large.  The food is packed into 30-gallon totes. Arnold has 11 totes and Holmes has 13 totes.  Delivery for Holmes Elementary should happen between 1:00 and 2:00 PM on Thursday and delivery for Arnold Elementary can happen between 9 and 11 or 1:30-3:30 on Thursday. The addresses of both schools are below.
• Distribute the food to the children - Dare I say this is the most exciting part?  Volunteers need to arrive at the schools in time to place the food bags in the backpacks along with the fresh fruit that will already be at school.  The schools have different dismissal times.  Volunteers for Holmes need to be there from 2:15-3:00 and volunteers for Arnold need to be there from 3:15-4:00.  We need to return these bins to the church any time prior to Tuesday.  Someone from the distribution team should take the empty bins with them and drop them off at the church on Friday, Saturday or Sunday.  If your team will not be able to do this please let us know so we can make other arrangements.

Directions to Holmes Elementary

Directions to Arnold Elementary