We serve students within Artesia Public Schools who are appointed to our program by their teachers and counselors. Students are provided a “pack” of non-perishable, kid-friendly snacks to take home over the weekend between weeks of school. Currently, we serve almost 200 students a week in grades K–12.

Established in 2012, Packs of Love (Packs) is celebrating 12 years in service. The kiddos in the initial pilot program at Grand Heights are seniors this year. The original director, Sarah Thompson, was made aware of a program running in Carlsbad and decided to bring a similar program to Artesia.

The 2012–2013 school year launched the pilot program that ran only at Grand Heights. At the beginning of the 2013–2014 school year, the program was offered throughout the district. This was the same time I was introduced to Packs. I read an article about the program and volunteered my lunch hour to pack and deliver backpacks to Grand Heights. My oldest daughter was a Kangaroo at Grand Heights so this need hit close to home. The following year, Sarah moved and asked me to take over the program. I had recently stopped working full-time when the opportunity came up; it was all in God’s timing.