Issue date: 2/28/08 Section: News

Media Credit: J. Patrick Clayton - THE BATTALION For many children in Brazos County, the backpacks that Elizabeth Etier brings each week to their schools represent healthy food options for them and their families to last through the weekend. [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: J. Patrick Clayton - THE BATTALION Elizabeth Etier, program assistant, is one of several students who packs backpacks with food for school children in Brazos County. The program is supported by the Brazos County Food Bank and includes multiple volunteer Aggies who use their free time to give back to the community. [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: J. Patrick Clayton - THE BATTALION Elizabeth Etier makes the most of her nutritional science education, but she hasn't graduated yet. She's behind the scenes at the Brazos Food Shelter, making sure the shelter's backpack program runs smoothly. [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: J. Patrick Clayton - THE BATTALION Milk, juice, macaroni and oatmeal are only a few of the items that members of the backpack program of the Brazos Country Food Shelter bring to local children on a weekly basis. These products are supplied in hopes of giving the children the same healthy meal options over the weekend that are offered at school. [Click to enlarge]

The school is quiet as the trolleys are pushed in. The children glance at the strangers as they walk in with heavy boxes. A look of wonder passes over the children's faces as the strangers go into the principal's office and leave the trolleys in there. They come out with a welcoming stance and a smile on their faces. The children try to put together the puzzle - are they the people who bring the food?

The strangers with the smiles on their faces are students from Texas A&M and part of the Brazos Valley Food Bank Backpack Program. They are Jennifer Reed, a sophomore nutritional sciences major and volunteer in the program, and Elizabeth Etier, a senior nutritional sciences major and the program assistant. The program was started in fall 2005.

"The backpack program is designed to give kids who, for whatever reasons, are not eating on the weekends, so that from Friday's lunch to Monday mornings they can have healthy, kid-friendly food to sustain them over the weekend," Etier said.

For many college students, the pressures of classes and social activities are overwhelming. But there are many, like Reed and Etier, who are involved in the community.

"It's Friday mornings [when I volunteer], so I made sure during the semester that my classes are only in the afternoon.

"It's nice to get up Friday mornings and do something for the people. It's a good start to the weekend," Reed said.

Reed started volunteering for the program in fall 2006. She arrives at 9 a.m. every Friday and begins the day with Etier, helping her stuff the backpacks and bags with food.

"I like the whole idea behind the program and I like what they do and what it is about. It's cool to see an aspect of how this program helps the kids. I never realized that kids would be excited about something like [backpacks]. A lot of kids, when they go home, don't have anything to eat over the weekends. I am learning a lot from this program; there are things that I would never have thought about in dealing with the children."

Reed said she has fun while she is helping out the community. She coaches gymnastics and cheerleading in addition to volunteering. She said she likes to coach because it doesn't feel like work to her. It is amazing to her how much impact a person can have on children, just in the couple of hours they see them.

"I found that I have an attachment to the kids. I came up here and started coaching the kids. At first it was hard to deal with kids and it is a test of patience. Now, it is a lot of fun."

Reed comes from a family of volunteers. Her mother, Tracie Reed, is part of a church ministry in San Antonio and Reed has helped her with community projects. Tracie said her daughter has a natural passion for helping people.

"Ever since she was a little kid, she has wanted to reach out to people. During a field trip in preschool, one of the children was handicapped and was told to stay back. She stood up for that child and got me involved to say that the handicapped child could do the same things as anyone else. She did not want to leave him there," Tracie said.

Etier works as the backpack program assistant and will graduate in May.

"I was able to come in and pick up [the program] from Louis Martinez [the Brazos Food Shelter volunteer coordinator] and help it to grow and expand. It's been great. I have definitely taken it under my wing, and it is something that we have all worked for at the food bank. I do the behind-the-scenes work, but it is definitely a group effort," Elizabeth said.

Etier said she enjoys helping people and the program was just right for her. The program fits in with her major and her schedule and gave her the perfect opportunity to help children. She said her plans after graduation may involve nonprofit work for kids.

"It's been such a great experience for me that I can't imagine leaving it here, but I'll manage to stay somehow connected to the program, even if it is in a different state. I would like to stay in touch with the community. I think that a couple of hours is nothing to our schedule, but it can help other people," Etier said.

Etier and Reed said they have become close during their experiences with the backpack program.

"Elizabeth is part of what makes the experience of coming in so much fun. I really enjoy our time talking and driving to schools to deliver the backpacks," Reed said.

Etier agreed by saying they have become good friends. Reed recalled an experience involving food shopping with a smile on her face.

"Just a couple of weeks ago, we were digging through huge boxes in the warehouse to find things to put in the kids' bags. Then we went shopping in H.E.B…that was funny because we had two cartloads of the same three items, like 40 boxes of macaroni and cheese," Reed said.

The poverty and hunger Etier has seen in the people who come to the food bank have been eye-openers for her.

"We have people coming in and they are in need [of] food in an emergency situation. You have to give them respect as you would to any other person coming through that door because it is very hard. You have to lose your pride to say 'I need help.' When people open their eyes, they see need and hunger every day; It is just a matter of realizing it," Etier said.

Etier is one of those strangers coming out of the counselor's office with the warm look on her face. She smiles when asked what it feels like to be a role model.

"Even though I don't directly interact with the kids, it is good to know that when they see me in the hallways unloading the backpacks, they know that I am younger but older than them, so they can look up to me," Etier said. "I talk to them [students coming into the food bank for volunteering] about it and getting them excited about it is great. I am pretty much equal to them - I am no better in any aspect. Yet I am able to do this and inspire them to come in and volunteer."

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