BEAR Necessities: Backpack Program

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BEAR Necessities: Backpack Program In 2008, the AHS Leadership Class (under the guidance of Liz Kyger) began a weekend food program to alleviate the hunger of our students.

Currently, students in PreK-Grade 2 (on free and reduced lunch program) are eligible for free weekend food bags. Food security is an unmet need in our rural school district. According to the 2016 Missouri Hunger Atlas, 34.7% of children in Douglas County live below the poverty level and 27.6% of children in Douglas County are considered food uncertain. Over the past decade in Douglas County, Missouri, the number of children qualifying for free and reduced school lunch has ranged from 69% to 76.1%. Although free/reduced lunches assist food insecure children during the week, it does not address hunger on the weekend. The Missouri Hunger Atlas rates Douglas County as a high need/low performance county, which means we are not doing enough to meet the hunger needs in our community. According to the 2016 Food and Action Research Center’s (FRAC’s) National, State, and Local Index of Food Hardship, Missouri ranks 20th in the Top 20 States with the 2015 Worst Food Hardship. As a result, children in many homes in our area are at risk for hunger as their family struggles to provide. Several children come to school distracted by hunger and have difficulties staying focused to do well academically. The FRAC’s report recommends one solution to the issue is an expanded nutrition program. In an attempt to meet this need, our High School Leadership Class began a program in 2008 to provide students with non-perishable food to eat during the weekend. They also coordinated with the County Extension Office to provide educational and nutritional information for student and parents. Our BEAR Necessities program is funded through fundraising efforts of our High School Leadership Class, recycling aluminum cans and donations from our community, churches and businesses. Since our High School Leadership Class runs the program (purchasing food, bagging food and delivery), we have no administrative costs. All funds go directly to meet the hunger need.

Thank you Wal-Mart for the $3,500 Spark Good Grant!
08/26/2026

Thank you Wal-Mart for the $3,500 Spark Good Grant!

Thank you to our community for supporting the Mason’s can‑recycling program. Your participation makes this funding possi...
07/19/2026

Thank you to our community for supporting the Mason’s can‑recycling program. Your participation makes this funding possible, and the Mason’s program provides tremendous support for the Backpack Program. Last year, we served 141 elementary students with weekend food.

As our adviser and students have assisted with recycling, we’ve noticed a few issues that need attention. Please tie bags of cans securely so they don’t scatter around the enclosure. Also, please review the donation guidelines below.

03/30/2026

Honoring Our Future Leaders 🌟

We are proud to spotlight a few of the remarkable young leaders making a difference right here in our community! A huge shout out goes to the Ava R-1 Leadership Class for their unwavering commitment to service. Whenever there is a need in Ava, these students are among the first to step up.

Last Wednesday, the class took on the significant task of cleaning up the Ava Cemetery. They worked diligently to remove holiday wreaths from veteran graves, as well as clearing loose flowers and debris scattered by our recent windstorms. Thanks to their hard work and teamwork, the grounds were restored in record time.

We are incredibly grateful for your volunteer spirit and your positive presence in our city. We also want to extend a special thank you to their class sponsor, Julie Taylor, for her guidance and leadership.

Recognizing the Team:
Front Row: Kyle Pitts, Thomas Ellison, Thomas Brown, Bella Ratzlaff-Hart, Kenley Fleetwood, and Mae Henry.

Back Row: Abi Dalton, Ben Stewart, Tess Dobrovits, and Briella Pueppke.

Not Pictured: Gunner Evans and Avery Barlow.

Thank you, Ava R-1 Leadership, for all you do! 🐾

03/09/2026
Help the Mason's Lodge 26 in their programs to help local children. Take your recyclables to the donation enclosure in ...
07/15/2025

Help the Mason's Lodge 26 in their programs to help local children. Take your recyclables to the donation enclosure in the Subway parking lot. The money raised helps provide weekend food for students in our district and provide shoes for needy students.

Thank you to the Mason's Lodge for their generous donation to the backpack program. Without their support, we would str...
07/15/2025

Thank you to the Mason's Lodge for their generous donation to the backpack program. Without their support, we would struggle to meet the needs of our students.

We are grateful to the Community Foundation of the Ozarks for awarding us a $2,000 grant. Because of your support, we ca...
07/15/2025

We are grateful to the Community Foundation of the Ozarks for awarding us a $2,000 grant. Because of your support, we can continue offering weekend meals to food‑insecure students in our Elementary and strengthen the safety net for our community’s kids.

Big thanks to the AHS Leadership class! Today, we had an Ozark Food Harvest food distribution event for the elderly, but...
09/21/2023

Big thanks to the AHS Leadership class! Today, we had an Ozark Food Harvest food distribution event for the elderly, but the lift on the semi-truck malfunctioned. As a result, the distribution was delayed. However, the dedicated volunteers stepped up and unloaded over 6 pallets of food to ensure the distribution could proceed. We are also grateful to Jim's Body Shop for promptly fixing the lift, and allowing the volunteers to successfully unload the entire truck.

The AHS Leadership class offers the BEAR Necessities: Backpack Program to PreK through Fourth-grade students who qualify...
08/20/2023

The AHS Leadership class offers the BEAR Necessities: Backpack Program to PreK through Fourth-grade students who qualify for the federal free and reduced lunch program. This is NOT a government program; donations and grants pay for all food and supplies.
To be eligible for the distribution, the student must attend Ava Elementary and qualify for the free and reduced lunch program. If your child could benefit from this program, we encourage you to sign them up by completing this form. https://forms.gle/3bDKp7JvT3U2XrSD8
Only one form is needed for all qualifying children in your family. This information is kept confidential.
If you have questions, contact Julie Taylor at [email protected] Distribution will begin September 1.

Address

507 NE 3rd St
Ava, MO
65608-0338

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