Monique Walker packs a meal kit for the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania on Tuesday, Dec. 16, at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh. The kits were given to school districts across Western Pennsylvania, including four in Butler County. Submitted photo

Seventeen schools and school districts across five counties, including four in Butler County, received meal kits packed by the United Way before their winter breaks, to help provide consistent nutrition while school meals are paused.

The United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania packed 3,000 child-friendly meal kits last week, including 695 for Freeport Area and Butler Area school districts and Moniteau’s Dassa McKinney Elementary School and Knoch Primary School.

Greg Boerio, principal of Knoch Primary School, said the meal kits will supply about 60 students in the school’s K-5 Weekend Food Program with food for winter break, which takes place from Tuesday, Dec. 23, through Jan. 5.

“It was a great opportunity for the expanding of our weekend food program,” Boerio said Wednesday. “There were two different kits, one was for breakfast, one was for lunch and dinner … We were able to send our kids home with one of each of those.”

The meal kit packing event, United Way’s third of the year, was organized in response to a recent spike in food insecurity in southwestern Pennsylvania, said a news release from the United Way.

Jade Thrower, one of the coordinators of the Knoch K-5 Weekend Food Program, said the number of students helped by the program has hovered around 40 to 50 students per year. The supply of donations has kept up with the need, but Jennifer French, the Knoch’s other food program coordinator, said economic changes could lead to more students needing help.

French said the Sons and Daughters of Italy Lodge 1664 of Butler recently gave a monetary donation for Knoch’s program, which also helps to keep the pantry stocked.

Boerio said the United Way’s contribution to the program will also help students in Knoch middle and high schools, which each has their own weekend food program.

“It just helps us to be able to provide more food to supplement the food we’re already giving them,” he said. “We were able to also support some of the food program that goes onto our middle and high school programs as well.”

Alena Horton, left, and Jackson Cross help pack meal kits for the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania on Tuesday, Dec. 16, at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh. The kits were given to school districts across Western Pennsylvania, including four in Butler County. Submitted photo

The United Way packed thousands of meal kits for students around Western Pennsylvania on Tuesday, Dec. 16, with the help of volunteers from different organizations. The kits were given to school districts across Western Pennsylvania, including four in Butler County. Submitted photo