From protein and diary, to fruits and vegetables, each week teachers in Watertown come out to bag up all sorts of food items.

Once packed, they are given to children who for any number of reasons, including COVID-19, may not otherwise be eating outside of school.

What You Need To Know

  • The Watertown City School District takes part in a Food 4 Families program to ensure students and their families have food on the table at home

  • The school gets help from the United Way and some funding, but like most, COVID hurt finances

  • There will be a golf tournament June 19 for anyone who might want to come out and support the program

“While it something that may not always be visible on the outside, it’s something that through the relationships we build without students our staff is able to pick up on,” Watertown CSD Assistant Superintendent Stacey Eger said.

The district has been hosting this Food 4 Families backpack program for a handful of years now, but as we all know far too well, this past year has been anything but normal.

While it does work with the local United Way and get help from the city, more is needed each day.

The goal isn’t to just feed a family for a day. It’s too help for as long as the school, and the community helping it, can.

“Food insecurity is not a problem that’s going to go away in the short term,” Eger added. “Our goal is to continually address this and make sure our family’s needs are met as best as we are able to support them.”

Because of COVID, its donations and fundraising efforts have taken a hit as well.

School staff hosts a golf tournament each year to help ensure there’s enough food to last the school year, but it was canceled last year.

Thankfully, the 2021 version is back on Saturday, June 19 and it’s not too late to sign up and help out your neighbors.

“It’s going to be a great day of golf, a ton of fun and we’re helping a really great cause,” Watertown City School teacher Stacey Kelley added. “Come on out. Join our teams. It will be a great beautiful day.”

The school also used to get students to volunteer to pack these bags and help their classmates, but COVID-19 also put a pause on that.

The hope is they can get back to it this fall.

For more information on how to sign up for the golf tournament, visit the Watertown City School District website.