Teagan (left) and Shea Duffy smash up old boxes for recycling as part of their volunteer work with the local Food 4 Kids backpack program.

SEASIDE — During the school week, students have access to free and reduced-price meals, but those options are not available during the weekend. That leaves some students to endure a few days with possibly less to eat. The Food 4 Kids backpack program aims to fill that gap.

The goal of the organization is to supply elementary and middle school students in the Seaside School District with supplemental weekend meals during the school year. Using food primarily purchased with donated money, several dozen volunteers work weekly to reach that goal.

Seaside residents Coral Cook and her daughter, Brandi Perry, are two of the program’s longtime volunteers. Cook was involved with a summer lunch program for about eight years until the school district took it over. Then Cook — along with Rosemary Kemper-Riddock, Annette Brodigan, Mary Blake, Maureen and Jim Casterline, Jan Jackson and Al Peinhardt — started thinking of “how the kids aren’t fed over the weekends,” she said. The group established the Food 4 Kids program in 2011, starting with Seaside Heights Elementary School students and growing from there.

Since Kemper-Riddock died in October 2015, Sally LaCoste stepped in from Our Lady of Victory Catholic church. Other volunteers also took on some of Kemper-Riddock’s various responsibilities. However, “there is no replacement for her,” Cook said of Kemper-Riddock.

Generally, the volunteers prepackage cold food items on Wednesday afternoons and set out products to be separated into the backpacks Thursday. One of six participating groups — including Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church, Our Lady of Victory Catholic church, Seaside Elks Lodge, Home Depot, the Seaside American Legion and the Seaside Methodist Church — are responsible for rotating weeks, but some volunteers come more often than with their affiliated organization.

The backpacks are sent home with students Fridays, and they return them Mondays so the process can start over.

The backpack program receives some grant money, but relies heavily on donations from community members, local businesses and other organizations. Cook estimates it costs about $7 per backpack each week, or $252 per student each year. The program gets some of its food from the South County Community Food Bank at low costs. The Regional Food Bank, run by Clatsop Community Action, supports Food 4 Kids, not to provide money or dictate menus, but to ensure the volunteers follow protocol and health codes, Cook said.

The Seaside Police Department and Seaside Fire Department used to deliver the backpacks to the school. Now they are delivered by various volunteers, including a group from Helping Hands Reentry Outreach Centers.

The organization also hosts fundraisers to cover costs.

For further information or to volunteer to serve, contact Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church at 503-738-6791.