I know that so many of you have given so much already to Wolfle Elementary School students that I feel a little guilty in even making this plea, but perhaps some of you can manage to help out.

As you know, Wolfle has the highest free or reduced lunch program in the district. Last year, 54 percent of our students were eligible for the breakfast and lunch program. Some estimates place the number of eligible students in 2011-12 as high as 68 percent.

Well, many of those students go hungry in the summer because there is no school lunch program.  Sometimes families are forced to split up, children get farmed out to relatives and others so that kids can be fed.

This summer a coalition of the food banks, Wolfle, Kingston Rescue Mission, Cuppa Bella, Kingston Rotary and Kingston Kiwanis are trying to raise funds to bridge the gap between the end of summer school (when the lunch program ends) and the beginning of the school year. The need is for 840 food packs, each costing $5 to feed 60 identified children (two packs a week for seven weeks). We need to raise a total of $4,200, of which about 60 percent has been pledged. The rest needs to be raised by donations from — well, frankly, from folks like you.

If you are able to contribute $70 to sponsor one child, $35 for a half sponsorship, or even $5 to buy one packet of food, it would help enormously. Contributions may be made to the Kingston North Kitsap Rotary Foundation or mailed to me to pass on. My address is 20840 Gala Way NE, Poulsbo, WA 98370.

I know I am asking a lot. I don’t want you to feel obligated, but if you are able to help, it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you (again) for your service and dedication to Wolfle students.

Pat Bennett-Forman
Learning specialist
Wolfle Elementary School