Champaign-Urbana Backpack Program
Four Osprey launched its first major initiative in 2010, a two-year program that resulted in 25,000 healthy and organic snacks delivered free of charge to school children who were food insecure in the Champaign-Urbana, Illinois area. Through a partnership with the Eastern Illinois Food Bank, Four Osprey purchased fruit leathers containing a full day’s nutritional serving of fruit, included in every backpack supplied to public schools on Fridays to help fill the gap in food access over the weekends. Because fruit is perishable, these snacks fulfilled a nutritional need that had gone unfulfilled before Four Osprey donated these snacks.
These food items were purchased from Clif Bar and United Natural Foods, companies with outstanding records for their green energy and organic practices, thereby strengthening the sustainable market place while addressing the needs of those who can least afford to support this economy.