The school is located in Ziebach County, which has one of the highest child poverty rates in the United States.

At the Takini School, 100% of the children qualify for the Federal Free Lunch Program.

4 years ago, teachers at the Takini School contacted Running Strong. They had noticed that the children in their classes were going hungry over the weekends, with no free school lunches and breakfasts.

Running Strong jumped into action and created the BACKPACK FOOD PROGRAM to make sure that Cheyenne River children don't go hungry on the weekends.

Each Friday afternoon, 206 students, line up and recieve full backpacks of food.

By buying in bulk, each backpack full of food costs approximately $4. Times are tough and we need your support to keep this important program going. 

Backpacks include items such as:
• fruit cups
• graham crackers
• canned vegetables
• assorted soups
• macaroni and cheese.