Blessings in a Backpack making sure hundreds of kids on school lunch programs have food on the weekend

WAUKESHA COUNTY, Wis. (CBS 58) -- It was something that was always on Regina Estrada's bucket list.

"I knew that after retirement, I wanted to volunteer," the Waukesha County woman tells CBS 58 News.

Now five years later, Blessings in a Backpack is serving the growing need for food among children who rely on school for their meals.

Some might think there isn't hunger in Waukesha County. Estrada says that just isn't the reality they see.

"We have 4,600 kids in grades K-5 eligible for free lunch at school which is our starting point," explains Estrada. "We had one girl tell us that she was so glad to get this food on the Friday before going home because sometimes her grandma wouldn't have enough money to buy them food over the weekend."

Estrada and a group of friends started Blessings in a Backpack in Waukesha County in 2012.

They had read an article in People Magazine about it being the best charity of the year.

"We started with 25 kids in the first three years," recalls Estrada. "Now we feed 1,200 children at five schools in Waukesha and five schools in Oconomowoc."

All the money raised goes to food for children.

The group is 100% volunteer and relies on exposure on local television to raise donations and find volunteers who will pack and deliver the food.

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