Student Weekend Food Program

The Student Weekend Food Program provides food to students over the weekends during the school year. Payson UMC works with Payson Assisting Displaced Students (PADS) to provide between 2100 and 2700 calories of food to needy students each Friday. Volunteers from the church and community pack selected menus each week, which are distributed to School Nurses in the public schools. The School Nurses identify those who are in the most need and provide a count to our PADS liaison, who in turn communicates how many bags are needed. Last year we were able to provide food for 70 students weekly; an increase of 20 students over the beginning of the school year. Payson UMC took leadership of this program in 2014 asked for an administrator outside the school district. Food items cost approximately $3.50 per student each week. We are regularly seeking volunteers to help pack the bags for distribution, to help purchase the food items from Costco, Basha's, Safeway, Big Lots, Dollar Tree, Wal-Mart, and other vendors in the community, or to simply contribute money to help support this program. The Student Weekend Food Program helps ensure students continue to have sufficient nourishment over the weekend to be able to participate in school.