NEWPORT, Ky. -- Firefighters on Sunday night held a food drive to collect "Power Packs" -- packages of food and snacks -- for children in food-insecure households at Newport Intermediate School.
Although school breakfasts and lunches can play a hugely important role in ensuring children from low-income households have access to nutritious food, the hours between the end of one school day and the start of another can be long.
The fire department's Power Packs will go home with students in need so they don't lose access to healthy food during weekends, breaks and sick days.
"Who better to respond in an emergency than the firefighters?" Local 45 union president Jake Silvati said. "It might not be a 911 call, but it's a social emergency. We really enjoy doing it and providing a better community for everybody."
The food drive was part of the union's ongoing effort to go "beyond the call" and invest in Newport's community beyond responding to imminent crises. In December, Silvati and others brought Christmas presents, warm clothes and meals to families in need.
