MALONE — Citizen Advocates, Inc. received $10,000 to help its Backpack Program provide kids with nutritious food throughout the academic year.
The grant was awarded by the Joy in Childhood Foundation to support the program’s mission to feed qualifying students in kindergarten through sixth grade on weekends, when they aren’t provided at-school meals.
Nearly four million children nationally live in “food-insecure” households, and may not know when their next meal is coming. According to Citizen Advocates, Inc., over 31 percent of Malone residents live in poverty.
The volunteer-run Backpack Program operates on an annual budget of roughly $70,000 which is directly applied to feeding children, and receives no state or federal funding.
For more information, contact Joe Riccio at Citizen Advocates at (518) 651-2760 or joericcio@citizenadvocates.net.