One in five Iowa children do not get enough food to eat, even with school-based free and reduced-price breakfast and lunch programs.

That’s where the Food Bank of Iowa attempts to fill in the gaps by providing its “Backpack Buddies” program. Its goal is to provide a sack of kid-friendly foods to qualified elementary school children on weekends when they do not have access to federal meal programs.

“Backpack Buddies actually started in Arizona several years ago,” Food Bank of Iowa director Carey L. Miller said. “A school nurse noticed children coming to school hungry, not ready to learn. We began our program in 2006.”