‘Fill the Backpack' campaign returns to Wegmans in June
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — WIVB News 4 is once again proud to partner with Wegmans and FeedMore Western New York for the annual 'Fill the Backpack' campaign.
Each week during the school year, around 6,000 students bring a bag full of shelf-stable food home to their families. In the summertime, FeedMore distributes these bags of food to summer camps and community sites.
'We know you can't focus, you can't be successful, you can't learn if you're hungry,' said Catherine Shick, public relations manager of FeedMore WNY. 'We need to make sure that our youngest community members are receiving the nutrition that they need to grow and thrive.'
Around 65 schools throughout the Western New York region utilize this program, including Hamlin Park Elementary in Buffalo.
'One-third of our students actually participate in the program and that says a lot,' said Lauren Golpl, a first grade teacher at the school who helps students receive the food anonymously. 'It shows that the need is here, but it doesn't just stop here at Hamlin Park. It's in all surrounding suburbs and around Western New York, and it's such a powerful program.'
How it works is FeedMore fills bags full of shelf-stable foods, including protein, fruits, vegetables, snacks, and a whole grain, and sends boxes of these bags to schools.
At Hamlin Park, they have fifth graders who help distribute these boxes throughout the school, but then teachers will make sure the bags of food go home with the students who are part of the program.
'I would encourage people to support this program just because I think it's good to help out a neighbor in need,' said Alexa Pontillo, a second grade autism teacher, who helps the program at the school.
The community can help support FeedMore's backpack program by shopping at Wegmans and donating toward the 'Fill the Backpack' campaign at the checkout line.
'Whatever you are able to give is greatly appreciated, and if we can all give a little, it does add up to a big difference,' said Shick.
A $5 donation can help fill one backpack with a bag of food. This year's campaign goal is to raise enough to fill 35,000 backpacks.
To learn more about the campaign, click here.
Hope Winter is a reporter and multimedia journalist who has been part of the News 4 team since 2021. See more of her work here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Commissioner of Health gives tips on how to handle poor air quality
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — The National Interagency Fire Centre in Idaho is sending crews to Canada to help battle the rash of wildfires that are bringing down the air quality in Western New York. 'What we used to call fire season, we now refer to as the fire year just because fire activity can really happen at any time of year,' said Rebecca Paterson, a public affairs specialist at the center. Paterson says a preparedness level scale from one to five is used to measure the amount of resources available to battle wildfires. 'In Canada, they're actually at a PL five right now, preparedness level of five, so they are maxed out and that is often where we find ourselves in the position of: the United States is cooperating with them, using our cooperative agreement to send resources,' said Paterson. According to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, there are more than 200 fires burning in the country as of Friday. Paterson says it's hard to predict how long it will take to put the fires out or what will happen to air quality. 'There's still hope that this won't be a really long duration event for those that are feeling the smoke impact from this, but I mean certainly having fires at this time of the season when typically places are kind of going into a hotter and drier season, there is some potential that those impacts could last for a while,' said Paterson. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has issued an air quality health advisory for areas throughout New York State, including Western New York, that expires midnight on Saturday. 'Just like you check the weather forecast, it's really good to check the forecast for air quality,' said Erie County Commissioner of Health Dr. Gale Burstein. 'When this poor air quality gets into our lungs we might have symptoms with difficulty breathing, wheezing, coughing. It's also an irritant, you might have itchy eyes, you might have a headache, sore throat–so all of those are things we have to think about.' She says those most vulnerable to poor air quality include people with chronic lung disease, chronic heart disease, asthma, COPD, pregnant people, older adults, infants and young children, people who smoke, and people who work outside. 'If you or anybody in your house is in those categories, you should think about now how to prepare when the air quality does get bad,' said Dr. Burstein. Dr. Burstein recommends people go to to check what the air quality is like in their community and in locations they plan to travel to. 'There's also long term effects that we won't see right now, so being exposed to this poor air quality can make us increased risk in the future for lung disease and heart disease, including strokes so we really want to make sure that we minimize our exposure to this poor air quality,' said Dr. Burstein. She says the best option when the air quality is poor is to stay inside. Those who can't are encouraged to use N95 masks and to drive with their windows up and their air conditioner on. Hope Winter is a reporter and multimedia journalist who has been part of the News 4 team since 2021. See more of her work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
RHA aiding residents in Danforth and Hudson-Ridge Towers after program termination
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Multiple residents have moved out of Danforth and Hudson Ridge Towers after the termination of a housing program. The Enriched Housing Program's services were terminated for the residents living there. The program was run through Family Service Communities, which said the programs were closed to ensure the 'health and safety' of participating residents. 28 of the 29 former residents of the program are being assisted by the Rochester Housing Authority. They are securing housing solutions for the affected residents. Wegmans provided meal arrangements for residents in need. It was originally reported that people were being evicted from the towers. The Housing Authority clarified this was not the case — the Department of Health was relocating those affected, as others were invited to stay under a different program. Below is the most recent statement from the Rochester Housing Authority: 'As of today, the Rochester Housing Authority has assisted 28 of 29 former Enriched Housing Program residents from Danforth and Hudson Ridge Towers in identifying or securing appropriate housing solutions. Most will remain in their RHA units and become Public Housing residents.' 'We remain focused on ensuring the stability, safety, and well-being of all affected residents during this transition. Our team has done a great job assisting residents and continues to work closely with Monroe County Department of Human Services, Office of the Aging, Lifespan, and other partners to evaluate each individual's needs and provide coordinated support to ensure the residents receive the proper support services they need.' 'We would also like to thank Wegmans for working with us to establish meal arrangements for residents in need of this service. Their support has helped meet critical daily needs during a challenging time. ' 'We thank our community partners and the media for their continued interest and compassion. Additional updates will be shared as progress continues.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Why is the USS The Sullivans' dry docking being delayed?
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — While the USS The Sullivans have survived war, time and tens of thousands of miles, another winter Buffalo's waterfront may be its most dangerous battle yet. The community, Buffalo city leaders and Paul Marzello, the president of the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park, spoke about what is hopefully in store for future restoration efforts after the announcement of another dry docking delay. 'We've got $21 million to move forward and we're getting the question all the time. 'Why aren't we moving forward?' Marzello said. 'The simple answer is, we don't control the process. The city owns the ships. The city owns the buildings. The city owns the grounds. It's a city park.' After the ships partially sank in April, 14, 2022, New York State Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes announced $500,000 and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer secured $7.5 million in funding for repairs. Gov. Kathy Hochul also announced $10 million to repair the ships in August 2024. Marzello said due to holdups on the city level of insurance and 'administrative challenges,' plans to drydock and restore the historic ships have been pushed back to October 2026 at the earliest. He also said the city and the council chose a marine engineering firm in February to handle the project. 'That's where we are now. Nothing has been done for the last four months,' he said. ' It's very frustrating for our board, for us as an organization.' 'The city is moving diligently to put over $20 million in funding towards this project,' said Nate Marton, Buffalo's Department of Public Workers commissioner, in a statement WIVB News 4. Marton said there are no deadlines in place that the city has missed at this time. Buffalo Common Council Member Mitch Nowakowski said he works closely with the naval park and understands this is a big task. 'That's where I'm going to step in as a district member to say, 'Hey, where are we and how do we move this timeline to make sure that these assets are protected?' Nowakowski said. 'Why I have such confidence in the naval park is the dedication they have on their board and their executive director, so if they're showing us engineering reports that there needs to be an expeditious timeline to make sure that these are saved, I'm yielding to their expertise.' Visitors of the naval park said on Wednesday that they believe the ships need to be cared for to ensure they don't just become a part of Buffalo's past history. 'My grandpa was in the Navy and it was his captain's ship and I remember hearing stories from him, so [it's] really cool just to be able to visit the history and explore the area,' said Hamburg resident Hannah Meader. Others said the ships should remain in Buffalo. 'The history behind the Sullivans — every mother's heartbreak is in that ship. We really need to keep this — the ships, the planes, everything,' said Akron resident Margie Keller. 'It's so important for history for everybody to remember and for the little kids that don't know about it, it's just phenomenal. It breaks my heart to think we might lose them.' City leaders and naval park officials said they have similar goals in mind when it comes to the restoration project. To see all of News 4's past coverage on the USS The Sullivans, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
