Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) and the Virginia Beach Education Foundation (VBEF) are partnering with WTKR News 3 and Pembroke Mall to host a Beach Bags food drive Thursday, Oct. 25. The Beach Bags program provides shelf-stable meals and healthy snacks to more than 500 VBCPS students each week who might otherwise go hungry during weekends and school vacations.

The local support program is sustained entirely by donations from community members, area businesses and organizations and school organizations. Volunteers will collect both monetary and food donations for the Beach Bags program from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Pembroke Mall (Kohl's parking lot behind Walgreens). Additionally, 74 VBCPS schools are volunteering to set up collection boxes at their respective locations and encouraging their students, staff and communities to bring donations.

Any of the following food items may be donated to be packed in Beach Bags for students:

• Individual-sized cereal boxes or oatmeal packets
• 8-ounce servings of shelf-stable milk
• Individually sized meals (ravioli, spaghetti and meatballs, macaroni and cheese, chunky soups, etc.)
• 4-ounce or larger fruit cups
• 100 percent juice boxes
• Snack items (granola bars, pudding cups, pretzels, trail mix, snack crackers, etc.)

Tax-deductible donations may be made payable to the VBEF via their website.

Individuals, businesses and organizations may make food or monetary donations to the Beach Bags program throughout the year by contacting the Office of Community Engagement at 757-263-1936 or [email protected]. For more information about the program, visit vbschools.com.

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Department of Communications and Community Engagement, [email protected]

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