Junior League of Rockford Awarded $10,000 Grant

There's a bit of good news for hungry children in Rockford.

According to a press release, the Junior League of Rockford has been awarded a $10,000 grant from the Bengt and Mary Kuller Endowment Fund of the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois. CFNIL is the area’s largest provider of grants and scholarships.

Officials with the Junior League say the money will be used to support the organization's Backpack Buddies program. Backpack Buddies provides chronically-hungry, low-income elementary school children in the Rockford School District with backpacks filled with nutritious, easy-to-prepare food to take home on the weekends when food might not otherwise be available.

Buffy Hiser, president of the Junior League of Rockford, says feedback indicates the relatively new program has had an impact:

“Early results from the first year of the program show that the program is making progress with the children enrolled. Fifty-five percent of parents saw positive changes in behavior and focus in their children in the first semester of the program and more than 60% of parents saw an increase in the overall health of their children."

The Junior League of Rockford is a non-profit organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and improving the community. It's been a part of the Rockford region for more than 80 years.