ELKHART — A faith-based ministry in Elkhart is working on a pilot program to provide school kids with food on the weekends. It’s set up to help children in households where food may be in short supply, and meals are sometimes hit or miss, especially on the weekends.

Every week, a group called Nail Scarred Ministries is packing backpacks at Elkhart's Hawthorne Elementary School.

The program identifies children in need, making sure the kids have food over the weekend.

Even for children it's sometimes tough to accept food. That's why they're given a specific job — taste testers.

“From there they take the food home — and it’s of the five food groups — they take the food home every weekend and they test the food out and see what they like and don't like,” explained Joe Bauer of Nail Scarred Ministries. “From there they bring the backpack back into school the beginning of every week. At the end of the week they fill up.”

“We feel that we're making a difference in helping with the children in this area that are hungry,” added Alison Bauer of Nail Scarred Ministries.

The need for the program at Hawthorne is evident. Of the 600 children who come to the cafeteria every day, roughly 90 percent of them are on free lunch.

“A program like this I think is a great value for Hawthorne, so the children do have supplemental food items to take home — the children that might not have food at home,” said Hawthorne cafeteria manager Kathy Kuzniewicz.

“This is the first program here in Elkhart County to do this,” Joe Bauer said. “So what we're hoping is that by next year, is to have a few more schools and our goal is to eventually have all the children that are in need next year taken care of in Elkhart.”

Your donations to our Neighbors in Need program are helping in the effort. Since the kick-off, you've helped us collect 34,000 pounds of food and more than $29,000.

We have food collection barrels at area Martin's Super Markets. You can also donate money at Comcast payment centers or online — go to Neighbors in Need.