Catholic Charities, Harvesters and Hickman Mills Partner to Provide 7,000 Weekend Meals

Catholic Charities of Kansas City – St. Joseph, MO, Harvesters and Hickman Mills C-1 School District Partner to Provide More Than 7,000 Weekend Meals to Local Students and Families 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — September 3, 2026 — Catholic Charities of Kansas City–St. Joseph, MO, is partnering with Harvesters—The Community Food Network and the Hickman Mills C-1 School District to provide nearly 7,000 weekend meals to local students and families through the Harvesters BackSnack program during the 26/27 school year. 

The partnership brings together three organizations with a shared goal: ensuring children and their families have access to nutritious food when school is not in session. 

In the Hickman Mills C-1 School District, 100% of the students qualify for free breakfast, lunch and an afternoon snack at school. This partnership takes that commitment a step further by helping address the food needs of students and their families beyond the school day. 

The BackSnack program provides weekly backpacks of nutritious, child-friendly food for students to take home over the weekend, helping bridge the gap when school meals are not available. Through this partnership, Catholic Charities will help deliver food packages to participating Hickman Mills schools, reaching more than 200 students and their families each weekend. 

The initiative also builds directly on Catholic Charities’ Serve&Lift Market, a self-choice grocery-style food pantry designed to alleviate hunger while restoring dignity. 

“We want our neighbors to know our door is open if they are facing food insecurity,” Erin-Michelle Luttrell, Market Program Manager at Catholic Charities, said. “Our Serve&Lift Market is built on the belief that families know what they need. When we offer choice, we honor their dignity, help reduce waste and make sure the food we provide is food their families will actually use.” 

That same philosophy is at the heart of the BackSnack partnership. Harvesters works closely with community partners to make sure food reaches families in ways that are useful, nutritious and appealing to the children who receive it. By providing items families want and need, the partnership helps reduce waste while maximizing the impact of every pound of food. 

This community partnership demonstrates what is possible when schools, food banks and community organizations combine their strengths. Hickman Mills schools provide a trusted connection to students and families, Harvesters provides critical food resources and infrastructure, and Catholic Charities brings its experience in self-choice food distribution and family-centered service. 

The BackSnack partnership is part of Catholic Charities of Kansas City-St. Joseph's continued commitment to meeting neighbors where they are, reducing food waste and creating food-access programs that promote dignity, choice, stability and hope. 

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Catholic Charities of Kansas City–St. Joseph: Catholic Charities of Kansas City-St. Joseph supports 27-counties across northwest Missouri by providing compassionate services that address hunger, housing, employment, family stability and other essential needs. Through programs such as the Serve & Lift Market, Catholic Charities partners with community organizations, schools, businesses, and volunteers to create practical solutions that promote dignity, stability and hope. www.catholiccharities-kcsj.org

Harvesters—The Community Food Network: Harvesters—The Community Food Network is a regional Feeding America food bank serving a 26-county area of northwestern Missouri and northeastern Kansas. www.harvesters.org/ 

Hickman Mills C-1 School District: Hickman Mills C-1 School District serves about 5,500 students and families across 11 schools in south Kansas City, Missouri. The district is committed to providing high-quality education and creating supportive learning environments where students have the resources they need to succeed academically and personally. www.hickmanmills.org/