SCRANTON, Pa. — Down the assembly line- student volunteers from Scranton and West Scranton high school pack bags of meals and snacks.
Dani Ruhf is the founder of "Child Hunger Outreach Partners" or CHOP.
The non-profit serves more than 20,000 kids who are food insecure through its weekly backpack program and in-school pantries.
That number is quickly growing.
"So those are kids who are going home at night, and instead of saying 'Hey mom, what's for dinner,' they're asking, 'Mom, is there dinner?'" said Ruhf.
CHOP recently got a $75,000 grant from the AllOne Foundation, and that money is already getting put to work to reach more kids in need.
"That grant was so exciting we were able to purchase a whole other van with that to do food deliveries and food rescue, but in addition, we were able to get some of that funding for food costs, so we will be able to expand the number of kids we are serving upwards of 10 thousand additional kids," said Ruhf.
CHOP now has two locations, one in Towanda and now one in Scranton.
West Scranton High School recently got an in-school pantry through CHOP, helping teachers breathe a sigh of relief.
"I know our teachers and our staff are grateful to know that our kids who might otherwise go without are going home with food every night if they need it," said Principal Renee Stevens, West Scranton High School.
"You never know their family situation, but I will never judge if someone needs it because you never know if that will be you one day in the future," said Aidan Graff, Scranton High School.
"It's good helping other people because you never know when people might help you," said Kyle Shea, West Scranton High School. "I feel good about it, people need help with stuff, and they struggle a lot, so I am glad to be down here helping."
To learn more about volunteer opportunities with Child Hunger Outreach Partners, CLICK HERE.
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