Since 2014, Donegal Power Packs Project has been providing weekly food to students in need during the school year. But what happens when the school year ends?

"If kids are eating two meals a day at school, when that stops for the summer, they still need to eat," said Jessica Tyson, treasurer of the Friends of Donegal, a nonprofit created to help the community. Distributing food over the summer is one of the new initiatives of the Donegal Power Packs Project since Friends of Donegal assumed leadership of the project on May 1.

On Thursdays, volunteers gather at Marietta Community Chapel to pack bags containing boxed and canned goods, fresh produce, eggs, meat or other items available that week. Each bag also contains a recipe for a nutritious meal to make with the ingredients and an education tip sheet.

"The pack is provided with the hope that an adult in the household will cook the meal with their children and encourage the family to cook together to make a low-cost, healthy meal," said Andi Riefenstahl, president of Friends of Donegal.

The organization took the reins of the Donegal Power Packs Project after original program coordinator Elayne Olson decided to step back from the project. She put the word out for someone to succeed her, and Friends of Donegal stepped in.

The mission of the Power Packs Project fits perfectly with the mission of Friends of Donegal, Tyson said, noting that the program is open to any qualifying families in the school district.

"We inherited an amazingly designed program from Elayne and the people she worked with," said Tyson, who is the new project coordinator. "We're not starting from the ground up, and it's been amazing to have that foundation to stand on as we've taken over the program."

Much of the program is unchanged with the transition, but the Donegal Foundation has added the summer distribution and has expanded the program to include children in day care.

"Children in preschool were not on our radar before because they aren't in the school system," Tyson explained. Friends of Donegal also hopes to leverage its community connections to grow the Power Packs Project, including working with Jarod Stine, who will provide produce from community gardens he started in Mount Joy.

The group has also changed pickup locations for the summer. Families can choose to pick up food at New Path Community Church in Mount Joy, the East Donegal Township building in Maytown or the Marietta Community Chapel. Pickup runs from 3 to 5 p.m. on Thursdays.

As of mid-June, the Donegal Power Packs Project had 37 families enrolled in the program, serving 190 individuals. Those numbers represent about a 50-50 split of families that were already participating in the program during the school year and ones that have signed up since summer distribution began.

Tyson is passionate about running the Donegal Power Packs Project, and she knows firsthand why it matters. "I have a personal history with poverty and homelessness," she stated. "Using food stamps or other government programs is not always the most dignified experience. This is a program where the people giving out the food are happy to see the people coming in, happy to greet them and happy to support them."

To sign up for the Donegal Power Packs Project, email donegalpowerpacks@gmail.com.