HAYDEN - Even with the two-week school break for the holidays, the beat goes on for programs that provide food for families in need in the Post Falls and Coeur d'Alene school districts.

Thanks to a $7,000 donation from Blue Dog RV and Super 1 Foods providing a store discount of $1,000, $8,000 worth of food was assembled for the break for 216 Coeur d'Alene students and 75 in Post Falls.

"It's a huge blessing," said Sheri Bullock, coordinator of the Coeur d'Alene program. "It will give them two meals a day and snacks.

"Worrying about how to feed your kids can add to the stress of the holidays and hopefully this will alleviate some of that."

The food packages are an extension of weekend nutrition programs in the districts in which food is sent home in students' backpacks so other students are unaware of who's getting assistance.

"Blue Dog really has a heart for helping," said Tiffany Williams, coordinator of the Post Falls backpack program.

Rebecca Asplund, Blue Dog RV's co-owner, said the company wants to give to a program that helps students.

"The little ones mean a lot to us," she said. "We wanted to give back to the community and share the blessings that have been bestowed upon us."

The food packages for during the holidays include Top Ramen noodles, peanut butter and jelly, bagels, granola bars and other items.

"Peanut butter and jelly has been hard for us to get and that can provide a lot of meals," Williams said.

The Coeur d'Alene program was established in 2010 under the umbrella of the Lake City Community Church Food Bank and currently operates out of Copper Basin Construction in Hayden. The Post Falls program operates under the roof of the Post Falls Food Bank.

"We're just scratching the surface of the need," Williams said. "We came to realize that some of the disruptive problems in the classroom are the result of hunger."

For more information or to help, contact the Post Falls program at 660-6154 or pfbackpackprogram@gmail.com or the Coeur d'Alene program at 659-6574 or cdabackpackprogram@gmail.com.