Oklahoma Grandmother Uses Backpack Program To Help Feed Grandkids

On Fridays, 19,000 students in our area will leave school with an extra backpack. And the backpacks have nothing to do with schoolwork, but everything to do with helping the kids succeed.

"I have some books over here that I like," said Quavey Jameson as she walked through the library at her school.

At 10 years old, Quavey is like so many kids. She loves reading and barbies. Part of the reason she gets to be a kid without any extra worries is because of her grandmother.

"I was brought up without a mother," said Hazel Jameson, Quavey's grandmother. "And I think I always try to give to my grandkids, make sure they have what I didn't have when growing up."

Mrs. Jameson is raising six grandkids including Quavey. And when asked what's the biggest struggles having the kids in the house, she said, "keeping food in the house."

Several years ago, when her husband was still alive, he volunteered helping the Regional Food Bank with one of its programs. Now, it's the Food Bank's turn to help his family.

"I think about that all the time how it has come back around," she said.

Every Friday, Quavey gets a backpack full of food from the food bank's Food for Kids program.

"When I put my backpack on I do this," Quavey said leaning back in her chair. "Because it's so heavy."

Heather Morris works with many of the kids who get a Food for Kid's backpack.

"it's more than feeding the children, we're fueling their future," Morris said. "When they're put into these situations, they're relying on the adults in their lives to feed them."

It now costs just $100 to provide a kid a backpack for a whole year during the weekends and holidays. There's even a matching campaign going on, so your donation can provide two kids a backpack for a year.

News 9 has a booth set up at the fairgrounds where we'll be collecting money during the fair. Or you can text FFK to 501501 for a $10. For more information on the Food for Kids Program, click here.