Our Weekend Food Bag Program was created to meet the needs of Whatcom County kids who were receiving free or reduced lunches during the week at school but were still experiencing food insecurity on the weekends. We provide 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2 dinners and snacks for kids each weekend during the school year. Each bag of food costs around $3.50 per child, and is comprised of healthy, shelf-stable food, as much as is possible. In the past 2 years our program has grown exponentially, serving 350 children each week 2 years ago, to 450 last year, to 950 kids weekly today. The increase is mostly due to two key factors. First, we are simply serving more schools. Two years ago, we were serving 11 schools, today it is 27. Secondly, inflation. The increase in food prices over the past year or so has hit families hard and they are looking for more resources. Our operation is lean, with no office space, no vehicles, and only one part-time employee. We depend heavily on volunteers from the community, and 20-25 people volunteer 2 hours each week to assemble and deliver the food bags, for a total of 1,500 volunteer hours yearly.