Volunteers Join Forces to Provide Over 500 Food Kits for Excelsior Springs Students
EXCELSIOR SPRINGS, Mo. – On Monday, Sept. 22, volunteers from the Excelsior Springs Rotary Club, hospital staff, and community members gathered alongside Feed Northland Kids at Excelsior Springs Middle School to assemble 576 weekend food kits for local elementary students. Working in an assembly-line fashion, the group completed the project in an hour and a half.
Each kit is designed to go home with a student on Fridays, providing easy-to-open, shelf-stable items like individual soups, dry snacks, and fruit cups to help bridge the weekend gap until school meals resume on Monday.
“Essentially, each person adds an item to a plastic bag as it passes down the line, and then we place them into totes. It’s a fun, purposeful time knowing the impact your help provides.” Shared Chris Donnelli, a volunteer with Feed Northland Kids and the Rotary. He explained that their collective efforts that evening would help support over 40 Excelsior Springs students.
The Excelsior Springs School District plays a key role in identifying which students are served, considering a higher-than-average free and reduced-rate lunch population compared to other Clay County schools. District social worker Kim Curtis coordinates distribution and ensures the kits reach those most at risk for food insecurity.
According to organizers, the 576 kits represent about 13 weeks’ worth of food, with a total product cost of around $2,900. Additional volunteer nights are being considered in early 2026 to continue meeting student needs through the rest of the school year.
The Sept. 22 event helped to demonstrate how that model can work hand in hand with the help of local programs, organizations, and volunteers.
Rotary members and Excelsior Springs Hospital employees joined in filling bags with brand-name favorites, stacking them into totes, and preparing them for distribution to students. A few hours of work helped assemble a steady supply of weekend food kits for Excelsior Springs students through the end of the semester.
Community members can help support Feed Northland Kids by participating in the 15th Annual Bill Cross 5K on Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, at Zona Rosa. Proceeds from the run benefit the organization’s food programs across the Northland. Registration is available at feednorthlandkids.org.
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