Too many kids are going without.
Kindergarten teacher Sarah Kaschke first realized the crisis for some of her students, when it came to food, about eight years ago. There were signs throughout the classroom each day — a lack of focus, unusual outbursts, or the hoarding of what food they might have, that they were struggling. They weren’t intentionally misbehaving, they were just hungry.
During the week, the school and its staff helped to ensure the kids each had a breakfast or lunch to keep them focused as best they could, on schoolwork. It was the weekends that concerned her. Her kids and many others were going home to little on the table or nothing in the cupboards. They were coming back Monday morning, starving.

She decided that she could do something about it.
Seeking help and donations of either time, food or money, Kaschke and a few friends created the Flandreau Public Schools Weekend Fuel backpack program. Over the past eight years, they’ve packed and discreetly handed backpacks of food for elementary students in need every Friday to ensure that they should have enough food to get them through the weekend.
But over the years, that original group of students has not only grown, they’ve also grown out of the program despite there still being a need. Their younger siblings may now be betting a backpack, but they again, may be going without.
So Kaschke, this year, wants to expand the program to be school-wide.
“The Elementary Weekend Fuel program has been running strong. However, we have known that the need and these students will only grow. We are so thankful to Mrs. Peters and others in the Middle and High school for helping the program to expand. We don’t want to see students struggle or miss out on food just because they have moved up to Middle School.”
Providing more backpacks will take more volunteers, donors and packers. The packing happens over the lunch hour typically each Wednesday or Thursday. Anyone interested to learn more, you’re asked to contact Kaschke at the school at Sarah.Kaschke@k12.sd.us.