(Osgood, IN) – The United Way of Franklin and Ripley Counties presented a check at the South Ripley vs. Jac Cen Del basketball game on February 28 for the Turnover Hunger Weekend Backsack program.
This generous donation is a match to the Ripley County Community Foundation (RCCF) contribution. Fans in attendance were encouraged to donate to the program and an additional $540 was raised.
Food insecurity effects over 1,000 children in Ripley County.
“Our desire is to work collaboratively to reduce that number. Turnover Hunger is doing great things in Ripley County. One of our board members is a teacher at South Ripley and she shared this story: A student of hers that receives a backsack of food every weekend came up and asked her where it came from. She explained to her where the food came from and her student said to thank them because her mom has trouble paying bills and they don’t always have food,” RCCF said in a statement.
The Turnover Hunger program began at the Ripley County Community Foundation in 2017 when Batesville High School football coach Evan Ulery wanted to teach the value of “giving back to your community” to his players.
For every turnover the defense forces during a game, fans can make donation to “Turnover Hunger” which supports the Weekend Backsack program, which sends a backpack of nonperishable, kid-friendly food home with students at Batesville Primary School, Jac-Cen-Del, Milan, South Ripley, and Sunman Elementary schools to ensure nutrition on weekends and school breaks.
Since then, Turnover Hunger became a partnership between the Batesville and Milan Varsity Football Teams.
Jac-Cen-Del Varsity Baseball and Softball joined last year with Strike Out Hunger.
And this winter, Jac-Cen-Del and South Ripley Varsity Basketball joined the effort to feed these children.
According to Gleaners, Ripley County has some of the highest food insecurity rates across the food bank’s 21-county service area. In 2023, around 13 percent of the county is facing food insecurity. This means that 1,010 children in Ripley County do not know where their next meal is coming from.
The Weekend Backsack Program does not receive school or state funding, so this program relies on private donations from the community.
Every donation towards this program allows RCCF to support these children and provide them essential nutrition crucial for their well-being and success.
For more information, visit rccfonline.org .
