Kindness in a Backpack
“Knowing that we have access to food to help feed our family has taken away some of the stress and worry about how we are going to make ends meet and put meals on the table. This program is more than just providing food; it provides peace of mind, hope, and reassurance that we are not alone.” Abbotsford parent.
On Fridays at Abbotsford Elementary roughly 90 backpacks of food go home with students who need them. Inside each backpack is a breakfast item, a lunch item and a snack, with special themed meals for the Holidays, like ham or turkey, thoughtfully coordinated. Tonya Klabon, program coordinator, shared the excitement she witnessed during the first week of school, “The kids kept asking, ‘When do we get our backpacks? When do we get our backpacks?’”
Thanks to a partnership with Feed My People (FMP), and a community grant from the Marshfield Area Community Foundation, Abbotsford Elementary ensures every student in need can receive food assistance.
This program began in an unexpected, yet heartwarming place–children thinking of other children. To earn their highest level badge, three Girl Scouts created “Kindness in a Backpack”, the first three food-filled backpacks. The project needed a community organization to keep it going. Tonya took the initiative and now partners with Elementary School Counselor Jessica Wozniak in running the Falcon Food Nest – a school-based food market and backpack program serving students and families within the school district of Abbotsford.
At first, the program got its FMP food through a local church that was already a partner, but moving backpacks to the church and back became impractical as the program grew. In coordination with FMP staff, Abbotsford became an approved direct program and now receives food straight to the school. Families sign up for the program at the start of the year and utilize it on an as needed basis.
Abbotsford is part of Project FEED (Food, Equity, Education, and Dignity), FMP’s youth hunger initiative. Within this program, school pantries are growing in number. Roughly 45% of FMP’s first-time visits in 2025 were by kids. Feed My People Grant Specialist Sarah Bergmann commented, “kids experience food insecurity at higher rates than the overall population,” emphasizing Project FEED and school pantries’ high value.
“Schools are already such a trusted resource in the community,” Sarah stated, “kids and families are there all the time already, so it’s convenient for them.”
Since 1982, Feed My People Food Bank has fought hunger across 14 counties in west-central Wisconsin. It works with more than 250 partners, including food pantries and meal sites. It also funds direct programs like school pantries, pop-up pantries and services for seniors, which can’t easily raise money on their own. Each year it collects and buys millions of pounds of food (8.86 million in 2025), including fresh produce from local farmers and food rescued from grocery stores, and delivers it free across a mostly rural region.
Need is now the highest in the food bank’s history, and children make up nearly half of the people it serves. With grocery and fuel costs rising, FMP is reaching further into rural communities through Project FEED, its youth hunger program centered on school pantries like the one at Abbotsford Elementary.
“A lot of our families really depend on this,” Jessica shared. “Every year it seems like more and more of our families are in need,” adding her gratitude for the partnership with FMP and additional financial support that helps to fill gaps for local families. The Marshfield Area Community Foundation is proud to support Feed My People in their Project FEED program at Abbotsford Elementary.
Contributions to the Community Grants Fund help support programs like this in our community.
To donate, click here.