Malta School Board asked to consider backpack meals for students

Malta’s Thayne Mackey spoke during the public input portion of last week’s Malta Public Schools Board meeting and asked the trustees to consider implementing the BackPack Program which would provide students with ingredients for meals for students to take home, cook, and feed themselves.

The program is run through a branch of the Montana Food Bank Network and is currently in use in 40 Montana schools. Mackey said in the program, food (including canned goods such as stew as well as uncooked pasta and rice) is sent to the schools and then bagged and given discreetly to the students for a cost of...