Beginning in the 2022 school year, Channel One has ended its local backpack program partnership with Olmsted County schools. Instead, Channel One works with Rochester, Stewartville, and Byron Public Schools to connect families with full-service food offerings, which include fresh fruits and vegetables, meat, dairy, and shelf-stable products.
If school social workers identify an urgent need for food access, and a child or family is unable to receive food from sources like the Channel One Food Shelf (due to barriers such as working hours or transportation), Channel One also provides schools with ‘food stability boxes’, which contain two days of shelf-stable meals for a family of four while school staff work to connect families with full-service offerings.
In some locations that have been identified as areas with high rates of childhood food insecurity, Channel One also brings its Mobile Market, so families have the opportunity to choose healthy food options without having to visit the Food Shelf. To determine these student populations, Channel One looks at the percentage of kids on free lunch at a school, the community resources that are already in close geographical proximity to that school, and the poverty heat maps that the Rochester Public Library also uses for its bookmobile.
Additionally, Channel One Food Bank distributes food to school pantries and backpack programs outside of Olmsted County.
