Each week, volunteers at Salem United Methodist Church pack food into backpacks for local students who might otherwise go hungry over the weekend. Volunteers organize across their various stations, set up for snacks, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and divvy up food items for each child in need of food that week. Since 2009, the LovePack Backpack program has distributed nearly 56,000 food packs to students across Dent County. The program now serves approximately 150 students weekly at four county schools.
Jann Craig founded the LovePack Backpack program after learning about a similar program in Mansfield, Missouri. She’ll be stepping down as the program’s coordinator and is handing the reins over to Melanie Wisdom and AJ Seay, who have been instrumental in the progress of the program. Wisdom coordinates thank you notes for donations, along with administrative communication, while Seay assists with finding deals on food items and volunteer coordination, among other tasks.
The first year of the program, 2009, involved careful testing—starting with five students at each of Upper Elementary and William Lynch, then gradually expanding to include rural schools and more students. It started with just a $300 donation, recalled Craig.
“At one point, I ordered all the food at once at Walmart—got to Walmart, didn’t have enough money in the account,” shared Craig, recalling how the program first got started. “So, I had to pay for it myself. By the time I got back to the church, there was already a donation for the entire amount and then some.”
Craig realized how much of an effect the program was having when a first-grade boy had told his bus driver he was taking his LovePack home to "hide it under my bed" and share with his younger sister who wasn't in school yet. Another story Craig recalled was of a little boy who ate his breakfast, than took his milk and licked it clean. Wisdom’s husband works as a bus driver and shared that as soon as kids get on the bus on Fridays, they want nothing more than to open their LovePack.
“We had a little girl in kindergarten, and she would get on the bus and immediately share,” said Craig of a past LovePack recipient. “They’d say, ‘You can’t open your bag on the bus.’ And she just couldn’t understand it. Finally, she said, ‘I don’t get to share things.’ She just wanted to be generous like everyone else.”
School administrators, counselors, and teachers identify students who need assistance, and parents are contacted for approval, except in some cases for youths. The program prioritizes discretion—packs go into backpacks on Fridays so that only the student and their family know they're receiving the assistance. Initially, organizers thought high school students wouldn't want to participate, but after three or four years, the high school requested to be included.
“One thing I teach the teachers is if students don’t have a home setting where they get a good night’s rest, or they don’t have food, they’re not going to learn,” shared Wisdom, who works as a behavior consultant at Missouri S&T with the Regional Professional Development Center.
The program extends beyond regular weekends. During snow days, long weekends, and holiday breaks, extra food is added to help families through periods without school meals. During last year's snow days, school administrators arranged special pickup times to ensure students received their packs despite closures. Even during the summer, HeadStart still receives LovePacks.
Each pack costs approximately $10 and contains shelf-stable foods that require no cooking or refrigeration—items like soup, pasta, crackers, juice boxes, or easy to open snacks that children can prepare themselves. Canned foods need to be pop-tops and not require the use of a can opener.
Food selection is based on current sales, closely monitored by Seay, to maximize the program's buying power. Country Mart frequently provides discounted, tax-free purchases, while US Foods donates all juice boxes. Seay, who now handles ordering and shopping, searches weekly sales for the best deals.
The program spends roughly $1,500 per week, or $50,000 to $60,000 annually. In the 2024 school year, volunteers distributed 5,128 packs.
The program requires 24-30 volunteer hours weekly, reported Seay. Most volunteers are retired teachers and community members who maintain consistent participation regardless of weather conditions. Tasks range from shopping and loading food to packing and delivering up to 40 packs per school building.
“They're retired, and they're dedicated, and they're here, whether it's good weather, bad weather,” said Craig, of the volunteers.
With Seay and Wisdom taking over operations, Craig remains involved with the program and probably will for some time—but as a regular volunteer.
“Everything needs new blood,” Craig said. “It was just time. I know they're going to do a good job. I know it's going to go on no matter what."
The LovePack Backpack program operates alongside other programs addressing student needs in Dent County. The Lunch Angels program, for example, covered approximately $10,000 in unpaid school lunch balances in 2024, ensuring no child is denied a meal. Warm My Heart provides new clothing to students, ensuring students are always dressed appropriately for the weather.
With nearly 56,000 packs distributed since 2009, the LovePack Backpack program demonstrates what dedicated volunteers and community support can accomplish in addressing childhood food insecurity.
The LovePack Backpack program operates entirely through donations. Monetary contributions are tax-deductible and can be sent to Salem United Methodist Church with "Attention: LovePacks" in the memo line. Donors receive thank-you notes with tax documentation.
Volunteers are needed on Mondays at 1:30 p.m. for preparation and Tuesdays at 9:30 a.m. for delivery to area schools. The program particularly needs volunteers who can assist with delivery, which requires lifting and transporting multiple tubs of food.
For more information about the LovePack Backpack program, such as how to volunteer or make a donation, contact Salem United Methodist Church in Salem.
