Happy Birthday, Maisie!

I tried to pick my favorite baby Maisie picture for today, but I just couldn't.  It's fun to scroll back through them all.  Here are a couple you may not have seen - from her actual birth day. 

 

Tucked in Annmarie's coveralls.  Loved from the start :-).

Her first bottle.  She'd been tube fed all day, but figured out that bottle in no time ;-).

Maisie's always been a good eater.  She knows more than most how important it is for kids to get the good food they need.  For lambs in the past we've done Happy Birthdays that have benefited Best Friends and the local humane societies.  For Maisie's birthday, we'd like to feed some hungry children.

I learned about the Feeding America BackPack Program as an outreach from the Bluegrass Beekeepers club.  I'd never even dreamed that there were kids in America who didn't have enough to eat.  It's true, and right in our own backyards :-/.  

"There are children in America that rely on resources such as free or reduced-priced school lunch during the school year. The BackPack Program is designed to meet the needs of hungry children at times when other resources are not available, such as weekends and school vacations."

• Backpacks are filled with food that children take home on weekends.


• All of the food is child-friendly, nonperishable, easily consumed and vitamin fortified. 


• Backpacks are discreetly distributed to children on the last day before the weekend or vacation


• In addition to providing nutritious food to school children in need, some BackPack Programs provide extra food for younger siblings at home. Others operate during the summer when children are out of school and have limited access to free or reduced-priced lunches.


• The BackPack Program became a pilot program in 1995. Feeding America approved the BackPack Program as an official national program of the network in 2006.
  
  
• More than 145 Feeding America members operate more than 3,600 BackPack Programs and collectively serve more than 190,000 children each year.
  
  
• In FY 2011, God’s Pantry Food Bank  (our local food bank) worked with 12 BackPack partner schools, distributing more than 15,700 packs to children in need.  

"I could fill a back pack!"

"I'd put in some Cheerios and some cookies and dog biscuits."

"And hay too, 'cause it's nutritious and yummy." 

What's actually the most helpful is money.  That way your food bank can buy in bulk and get exactly what they need throughout the year.  We can all do that.  Even a little bit can help.  Today, for everyone who leaves a comment wishing her a happy birthday, we'll donate a dollar to Maisie's local BackPack Program. 

 Happy Birthday, Maisie!