Booster Pak’s mission is to help at-risk students in the West Des Moines Community Schools reach their fullest potential by reducing childhood hunger and promoting health and wellness. Without the food Booster Pak provides, many of these children would go hungry.

What are the effects of hunger?
  1. Hungry children suffer from four times as many health problems.
  2. Hunger has a negative impact on a child’s ability to learn.
  3. Children with poor nutrition suffer from decreased brain power and productivity.
  4. Children who are hungry have difficulty fighting infection.
  5. Hunger increases the likelihood of social and behavioral problems in school.

To fulfill our mission, our volunteer-driven organization supports three programs:

  1. Backpack Program for preschool and elementary students
  2. Pak Program for 7th through 9th grade students
  3. Pantry Program for high school students
The Need
  1. 1 in 7 children in Iowa under the age of 18 is food insecure. Food insecure means families do not have enough food to fully meet basic needs at all times.
  2. 33% of the students in the West Des Moines Community Schools participate in the federal meal programs.
  3. There are no weekend congregate meal sites in the communities served by the West Des Moines Community Schools.
(As of October, 2020)