Around 55,000 students in The Food Bank’s service area qualify for free and reduced-priced school meals. For many of them, breakfast and lunch at school offer the only source of reliable nutrition and they are at risk of hunger over the weekend.

To alleviate this risk, The Food Bank partners with elementary schools in each of the 32 counties it serves to provide Buddy Packs to school children. Buddy Packs are backpacks filled with kid-friendly, nutritious food that students take home over the weekend or holiday periods to supplement their meals when there is not enough for them to eat at home. After the weekend, the kids bring their empty Buddy Pack back to school to be refilled by local volunteers. The program continues week after week throughout the school year or as needed to keep the growing youngsters happy and healthy.

During the 2011-12 school-year, the Buddy Pack program helped feed around 8,600 children each week, up from 6,500 in 2010-11. You can help by donating backpacks or money to purchase food for the program.

ITEMS NEEDED FOR BUDDY PACKS

• New or gently used backpacks
• Nutritious, shelf-stable food items such as Peanut butter crackers
• Pop-top Canned fruits
• Pop-top Canned soup
• 100% fruit juice
• Granola bars
• Peanut butter (in plastic jar)

If you choose to donate food, please avoid items such as:

• Food stored in glass containers
• Perishable food such as fresh fruits & vegetables
• Cookies or other items containing a lot of sugar

If you prefer, make a cash donation to The Food Bank, and we’ll buy the food for the Buddy Packs directly.

This exciting one day event features two shotgun starts, a barbecue lunch, multiple opportunities to win great prizes, and much more.

To register or learn how your company can get involved as a sponsor click here

The Chiefs welcome the Falcons top Arrowhead.

The 2011 World Series Champion Cardinals play here on ESPN 100.5 KTGR.

A big thanks to our great Cardinal sponsors for making Redbirds on the radio possible.

Join us from Columbia’s Buffalo Wild Wings on Nifong for Tiger Talk every Monday night.

Get there early for a great seat and tasty food & drink.

Tiger Talk on ESPN 100.5 KTGR

The all new KTGR Tiger Checking Prowler will be live at KTGR’s Tiger Game Day and the Zimmer Radio Group Tiger Tailgate Party.

World Series MVP David Freese will appear along with 13-game winner Jaime Garcia and #1 prospect Shelby Miller. Cardinals alum Kerry Robinson will also appear along with broadcasters Jay Randolph and the Voice of the Cardinals Mike Shannon.

Mark your calendars for Friday evening January 13, 2012 for the St. Louis Cardinals Caravan and their visit to Richardson Auditorium on the Lincoln University Campus.

You will have a chance to meet current and former Cardinal players, get some autographs for the kids and win some cool Cardinals prizes.

Doors open at 5p and the program will start at 6p.

Keep listening to ESPN 100.5 KTGR and 94.3 Kat Country for more on the Cardinals Caravan.