For more information on our nonprofit, clothing help or the food insecurity blog please call or text: (315) 399-6602
For more information on our nonprofit, clothing help or the food insecurity blog please call or text: (315) 399-6602
About the Phoenix CSD Backpack Program
Food is a school supply for hungry kids
Since nutrition affects cognitive, social and emotional development, children who do not get proper foods are more likely to have problems learning, growing and interacting. Erin's Angels is a nonprofit that ensures that children who rely on subsidized lunches continue to receive food vital to their growth and development.
There is an immediate need to assist in combating food insecurity for elementary students in the Phoenix Central School District in order to ensure student focus on academic success. Hunger can greatly affect a student’s performance in school. Children who skip meals and are hungry perform poorer than their peers who have consistent access to food. Hunger has been linked to lower math scores, increased potential to repeat or fail a grade, and affected attendance to class.
Approximately 14% of individuals in food insecure homes indicated that at least one person went without eating over the weekend. This greatly affects the demeanor of the children in these situations. A study on the impact of similar backpack programs displayed a change in elementary students: teachers indicated that students receiving food packages were better behaved, more attentive, and engaged in lessons.
53.4% of students in the Oswego county public school system receive free or reduced-price lunch during the school year. Many of these students rely on these meals as their main meals throughout the week. When some of these students go home for the weekend, their meals are very uncertain. Over extended breaks, like Spring Break, which can last ten days or more, the amount of food and number of meals is severely affected.
It is through your funding that we can provide qualifying children with a sufficient amount of food to last extended breaks. Currently, Erin’s Angels works with approximately 70 families and 124 students weekly to ensure they are sent home with food to supplement and provide meals while they aren’t in school.
About the West Genesee Power pack Program
Food is a school supply for hungry kids
Power Packs are bags of food for students in need. Some students rely on the free breakfast and lunch at school as their primary food for the day. Power Packs are discretely distributed bags of food for the weekend when students don't have access to breakfast and lunch at school. Each Power Pack contains two breakfast items, two lunch items and two snacks. Each item is kid friendly, easy to prepare, light weight and shelf stable. Packs include items like oatmeal, apple sauce, granola bars, ez mac & cheese, and ramen noodles.
It is through your funding that we can provide qualifying children with a sufficient amount of food to last extended breaks. Currently, the West Genesee program works with over 140 students weekly to ensure they are sent home with food to supplement and provide meals while they aren’t in school. Volunteers are welcome to help assemble the packs! Contact Olivia for more information.
At a glance
How We're Helping
How We're Helping
How We're Helping
We are a nonprofit organization focused on fighting food insecurity in Central New York. We ensure that hunger does not get in the way of a child's education in the Phoenix Central School District.
Get Involved
How We're Helping
How We're Helping
Are you passionate about what we're doing? Let us know! We are always looking for volunteers to help us make our vision a reality. We'll help you find a way to volunteer that best suits you. Please email Connie DeShais for volunteer opportunities. We're excited to have you join the team!
Thank You
How We're Helping
Thank You
Whether you help through monetary donations, volunteering your time, or spreading our mission through word-of-mouth, thank you. We couldn't accomplish our mission without your support!
Do you have an upcoming birthday?
This simple tool that Facebook has given us is one of the ways you can help!
Here are a few easy steps to ask your friends and family to donate $5 for your birthday in lieu of a birthday card!
1) Go to your Facebook account
2) Go to your 'home' page, and look on the left side column. You should see the 'fundraiser' option under "Create" at the bottom. Click on "fundraiser" and Facebook will walk you through.
3) Pick the charity “Erin’s Angels of CNY”
4) Set your fundraising goal and time-frame. We've seen many successful fundraisers at $200 or even $500 or more! Set something that you feel good about and see where it goes! You can always raise the amount if you particularly like to challenge your friends.
5) Invite people on your friends' list and engage with them! This is key. Invite, invite, invite! Share often on your timeline: remember that not everyone will see something when you post just once. While some people may be hesitant to invite people on their friends list, remember you're giving them an opportunity to participate in something bigger than themselves. The opportunity to make a difference in a child’s life. No problem if they are unable or unwilling to participate at this time - you've at least extended an invitation!
6) Thank people as they donate and watch numbers go up! Seriously, these people are donating to Erin’s Angels because of YOU - because they love you, they appreciate you, they think you're the cats meow (and we do, too)!