Twin Falls Yogurt Company Helps Pack Weekend Food Bags for Students

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KLIX)-A Magic Valley yogurt maker has teamed up with the Idaho Food Bank to provide weekend meal packets for students who attend elementary schools in the Twin Falls School District.

For the month of September Chobani has packaged more than 400 weekend lunch bags for the Idaho Food Banks Backpack Program. The goal is to provide nutritious food for eligible children within the district when they go home for the weekend. For some students it may be the only source for food, according to the Food Bank; in Twin Falls County there are roughly 3,500 children that have some sort of food need.

Chobani reached out and offered to support the Backpack Program for September by paying for the food items as well as the packaging, plus delivery of packs to the Twin Falls elementary schools. Representatives with the Food Bank said that has helped save money and time for the program. According to Twin Falls District Spokesperson Eva Craner, 64% of the student population is eligible for some sort of food assistance.

The food packs are filled with nutritious food from a menu compiled by a dietitian. All the food must be able to be stored without refrigeration, such as canned fruit, boxed milk, pretzels and other snacks. Chobani also provided a $25 gift card that students can only use to buy nutritious snacks along with a Chobani yogurt coupon. The Backpack Program is provided statewide to 150 participating schools.