Backpack program tackles food insecurity in community

By Ed Pierce

The lyrics of an old Christian hymn proclaim simply “we rise by lifting others” and that’s precisely what the Windham/Raymond Backpack Program strives to do.

Volunteers gathered in the Windham Middle School 
cafeteria on Tuesday, Dec. 12 after packing student 
backpacks with food for them over the Christmas
break from school. The program is seeking donations
to help RSU 14 children overcome food insecurity
and go on to success in their lives.
PHOTO BY BRUCE SMALL 

The initiative was launched during the 2011-2012 school year to assist school children in RSU 14 to overcome food insecurity so they can grow up healthy, do their best work in school, and become successful adults. With Maine passing the “School Meals For All” legislation in 2021, all students across the state are given access to school meals, but some struggling families in the community still face the daunting challenge of feeding children on weekends and over vacations when school is not in session.

This is where the Windham/Raymond Backpack Program comes in. It provides food to supplement children in need over weekends and school breaks during the school year. Each “Backpack” contains breakfast, lunch, and dinner options, as well as snacks. The backpacks are discreetly distributed to the students by teachers or staff at each RSU 14 school and are packed every Tuesday by a team of volunteers at Windham Middle School.

Volunteer Marge Govoni of Windham says that research indicates that children who grow up in food insecure households sometimes trail their peers in terms of cognitive, emotional, and physical development and this program is designed to help those students succeed.

“When the program began 12 years ago, it provided meals for approximately 50 students. It has since increased in number to 120 students from both Windham and Raymond schools being served,” Govoni said. “The increase in participation paired with rising food cost has made it more important than ever that we keep this program open and available to as many children as we can.”

In data collected in 2022 by the National Health Interview Study, a direct correlation was shown between household food insecurity and significantly worse general health in American children, including some acute and chronic health problems, and heightened emergency room hospital visits.

The Windham/Raymond Backpack Program only accepts monetary donations to ensure the nutritional items and menu are similarly based and meet the needs of the child.

“In order to continue to serve up to 120 children each weekend during the school year, we need more members of the community to support our program,” Govoni said. “We are reaching out to local businesses asking for additional sponsors to this program. Our biggest and most consistent contributor over the past several years has been Windham Weaponry and their generous staff, who unfortunately recently announced they will be closing down.”

If you are considering donating, Govoni said that donation benchmarks are one bag for one child at $10, and one child for the school year at $300.

“Of course, any amount is helpful, and 100 percent of the donations go toward buying food and supplies with no administrative cost or fees applied,” she said. “Using this program to give students food for the weekend ensures that come Monday morning when they return to school, they will not be hungry and ready to learn. I am passionate about this program and making sure that students have access to food over the weekend and it is run totally on donations and the work of some wonderful and caring volunteers.”

RSU 14 Chef Ryan Roderick said that the Backpack Program is so valuable because it helps to fill the gaps.

“It is not uncommon to think that because school meals are free that these kids should already have everything they need. The unfortunate truth is that even though breakfasts and lunches are available to all students, there are still hundreds of children who leave school on Friday afternoon and have no certainty that they will be fed a complete meal until Monday morning when they return to school,” Roderick said. “If that is the case, you can bet those students are going to be the ones struggling to stay focused, stay awake and to be the best version of themselves when they are in attendance. The backpack program helps those children sustain over the weekend, to feel a sense of comfort and normalcy and to be confident knowing they will not have to feel hungry, tired, or irritable by the time they get back to school. Every child deserves to feel happy and energized and to be given the best possible chance to succeed and the Backpack Program is our way to ensure that chance is given.”

Govoni said that making a donation can help transform the lives of the RSU 14 students whose lives can be made a little easier with a nutritional meal that is not always available to them.

“We cannot make this program work without the help of our very generous businesses, organizations and residents of Windham and Raymond,” she said. “We are very grateful and cannot thank those who have contributed monetary donations or volunteer their time to help make this program successful.”

To make a donation helping ensure that the food insecure children of the Windham and Raymond communities are nourished and well fed, mail a check or money order to: School Nutrition Program, Attn: Ryan Roderick, 228 Windham Center Road Windham, ME 04062 Note: Backpack Program.

Online donations can also be made at https://rsu14.androgov.com/ - Select “all other student activities,” fill in your information, for a specific school, select “School Nutrition.” For *Payment Description* write “Backpack Program.”

For more details about the Windham/Raymond Backpack Program, call 207-892-1800, Ext. 2012 or send an email to rroderick@rsu14.org or mgovoni@rsu14.org <

RSU 14 welcomes new Windham Middle School principal

By Lorraine Glowczak

Greg Applestein, a 34-year veteran educator with 11 years of administrator experience, was approved and welcomed by the RSU 14 school board to serve as the new Windham Middle School Principal following the end of the school year in June.

Greg Applestein will lead Windham Middle
School as its new principal. A veteran
educator and school administrator, he joins
RSU 14 after serving for the past three
years as the principal of Bonny Eagle
High School in Standish.
PHOTO BY LORRAINE GLOWCZAK 

Applestein replaces Drew Patin as the WMS principal, and he officially started his new role at the school on July 1.

RSU 14 Superintendent of Schools Christopher Howell said that Applestein has a wealth of experience in public education and his experiences are closely aligned with the work plan that is already in place for WMS.

“Greg’s references spoke of his strong ability to form positive relationships with all members of the school community and his advocacy and support for his staff,” Howell said.

Howell said that Applestein earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary English Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1990, and then taught English and Video Productions at Belfast Area High School for 22 years. Upon completion of his Master of Science degree in Educational Leadership at the University of Southern Maine in 2012, he became the assistant principal of Ellsworth High School for three years.

He relocated to Scarborough High School as an Assistant Principal in 2015 and then accepted a position as Principal at Bonny Eagle High School, where he has worked for the past three years.

According to Applestein, he is looking forward to his new journey with RSU 14 and his role as a middle school principal for the school district.

“I’m excited to work with younger students who are in the midst of big changes and are beginning to discover who they are,” he said. “It’s a great time to be a part of their lives and to help them navigate the world.”

The new WMS principal said he promotes the student-centered approach to education which embraces the students where they are in life.

“Each student has unique backgrounds, strengths, challenges, interests, and aspirations,” he said. “They each have the potential that will unfold at their own pace and in their own way. It’s the job of the educator to recognize, unleash and support that individual student, in their growth and success.”

He said he believes that an educator is there to encourage each student to test the waters by learning new content and empower them to take more ownership of their learning so they can be successful, now and in the future.

At WMS, Applestein will continue project-based learning, which has been the WMS educational approach in recent years. This educational method promotes students’ ownership of their learning as they design, develop, and construct hands-on solutions to real-life situations.

In addition to his focus on student success, Applestein is also very supportive of the school’s staff.

“I want to empower our educators to be the best they can be, not to take themselves too seriously, and to take ownership of their success,” he said. “I’ve always encouraged teachers to keep their passions for students’ achievements and their role in education alive. To teach is to learn, so a commitment to professional development is imperative. Also, involvement in their school community through committee work, etc. is a great ingredient to a successful school culture.”

The new WMS Principal said that he expects the same of himself and to keep himself on track, Applestein reflects upon his experience after each day.

“Often, on the ride home from work, I will ask myself two questions,” he said. “‘What was my new learning today’ and ‘What can I pull from that learning that can make me a better principal tomorrow?’”

Applestein lives in Scarborough with his wife Michelle. The couple has two grown children, three grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren and when he is not at school, the new WMS principal can be found enjoying live music, reading, drumming, bass fishing, and spending time with his family. <