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Thomas Ouellette
The idea for the program came after the founder of the Queens, Marilyn Collier, noticed that the community fridge she stocked daily was being emptied in less than two hours, and that kids on their way home from school were going to be missing out. The latest National Kids Count data shows child food insecurity in Madison County is getting better, but it's still above the state average.

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Thomas Ouellette
More than 16% of Madison County children don't have access to enough food to meet their needs. Now, on Thursday afternoons, kids can visit the Anderson Impact Center and get their own personal backpack filled to the brim with nutritious foods. Collier says that's not all there is to the program. She wants the kids to know the gathering of the Queens is a community that cares about them.

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Marilynn Collier
They'll be able to eat, and they'll be able to have that relationship building so they can remember people who cared about them. Like, I remember people who cared about me.

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Thomas Ouellette
In addition to food, the backpacks also come with books and reading incentives to help bridge educational gaps over summer break. The program will become a mainstay of the gathering of the Queens, with no plans to stop once school starts again. And Anderson Thomas Ouellette IPR news.