LAKELAND, Fla. — In Polk County, an important mission relies almost solely on volunteers.
KidsPACK makes sure students in Polk and some Hillsborough County schools are fed.
At their warehouse in Lakeland, food is sorted and packed before being taken to 84 schools. That food is then sent home with students in need. It's enough for the weekend that doesn't need to be heated or prepared.
The mission started in 2011, feeding around 100 kids.
Today, the need is high—and still growing. They're feeding more than 4,000 students.
Volunteers like Melody Dobbs are the backbone. She's a retired teacher who knows firsthand what it's like to see hungry kids.
Dobbs takes packed boxes and drives them to local schools so students have food for the weekends.
"I know the need is so, so severe for some of these little children," she said. "Seeing children that are hungry or trying to hide some of their lunch for dinner because they're not going to get dinner."
Executive Director Patty Strickland said she wants people to remember that children are our future.
"They're your future. They're my future. And I think we have to give them the opportunity to succeed," Strickland said. "If we can do it by feeding them with fuel to get an education, they will be the greatest generation today."
Volunteers here must be over the age of 13 and will likely be working in a warehouse.
They also accept donations all year long because it costs around $4,000 to feed one student for the year.
For more information on ways you can get involved with kidsPACK, click here.
