For years the Jackson Parish School District and the Louisiana Department of Education have done a wonderful job regarding making sure students receive nourishment at school. This year even the state of Louisiana government bodies got into the act by passing new state laws that expanded free school meals in public schools giving more students in Louisiana access to free breakfasts and lunches.

What about when school is not in session? 

What do the children of impoverished families do for meals then?

Sponsored by Danielle Copeland, Principal, Lasonia Manning, Assistant Principal, and Tristen Bergholtz, School Counselor, this past week the Jonesboro-Hodge Elementary School (J-HES) Junior Beta Club came to the aid of the less fortunate in the area. They did so by assisting in the creation of over 150 bags of food containing more than 900 items that were donated from the Jackson Parish community and some of the J-HES families.

The J-HES Junior Beta Club helped sort through canned goods received from their November food drive. Students organized themselves into various groups with assigned roles which made for a collaborative and synergistic effort. The groups tasked themselves with checking the dates on the items, sorting the food into categories, placing a variety of food items into bags, and storing the items in an organized manner on shelves.

The Junior Beta Club members had fun while giving back and held great discussions about the importance of supporting those in need. The food bags created will be used to supplement the weekend backpack meal program for J-HES students who may only have access to food when they are in school. The J-HES Junior Beta Club appreciates the community’s support and donations.