Support Food Shuttle's BackPack Buddies program Wednesday

On Wednesday, WRAL TV and MIX 101.5 WRAL-FM are teaming up to raise money and food for the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle's BackPack Buddies program, which helps make sure that some of those kids don't go hungry on the weekends when they don't have free school breakfasts and lunches.

Posted 12:39 a.m. Jul 19, 2017 — Updated 12:39 a.m. Jul 19, 2017

There's a very good chance that there's a child who is going hungry in your own kids' classrooms this year.

On Wednesday, WRAL TV and MIX 101.5 WRAL-FM are teaming up to raise money and food for the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle's BackPack Buddies program, which helps make sure that some of those kids don't go hungry on the weekends when they don't have free school breakfasts and lunches. The program provides 2,100 children, who qualify for free school breakfasts and lunches, with weekend meals during the school year.

Wednesday's mediathon includes a day-long phone bank, along with collection sites where you can drop off food. Sites include Triangle Town Center and Food Lion locations in Wake, Durham, Orange, Chatham, Johnston, Nash and Edgecombe counties.

If you plan on donating food, the program needs specific kinds of foods that kids can easily open or prepare themselves.

That includes:

Proteins and stews such as canned soup, canned tuna and milk boxes

Breakfast items such as granola bars, individual cups of cereal and packets of instant oatmeal

Packaged noodles such as individual cups of macaroni and cheese

Canned vegetables and fruit

Healthy snacks such as small boxes of raisins, applesauce pouches or granola bars

100 percent juice boxes

People are asked not to bring sugary snacks such as cookies or Pop-Tarts; Spam and Vienna sausages; soft-top applesauce, fruit or Jello; candy; juice pouches; sugary cereals; and crackers, puddings or soft cereal bars.

WRAL's BackPack Buddies page has more information and details about how you can get involved.

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