In 2015, a food assistance program called Cocoa Packs was started by a local mother of five, Christine Drexler. She made sure that children in need in the Derry Township area went home weekly with a bag of food in their backpacks, which would sustain them through the weekend.

The effort has evolved and grown into a nonprofit organization that today offers additional benefits to children enrolled in the Cocoa Packs program. These benefits include access to a clothing closet, a personal care closet and a lending library with computers and printers. Every child enrolled in Cocoa Packs also receives a brand-new coat each year, and parents are provided with gifts to give to their children during an annual holiday distribution.

Food packed in the Cocoa Packs, such as canned goods, snacks, juice and bottled water, is purchased by the organization in bulk. Thanks to a partnership with Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Company, the Cocoa Packs also include fresh surplus food, which is "rescued" from the company's dining outlets.

"Our food rescue program partnership with Hershey Entertainment allows us the opportunity to take out a processed entree and put in fresh food," Drexler said. "That partnership is tremendous. (This is food) that would have been wasted."

Currently, the Cocoa Packs are distributed on Wednesdays at Spring Creek Church of the Brethren in Hershey. The Cocoa Packs program also maintains a secure office at Hershey Middle School and operates out of a warehouse at 1016 Old West Chocolate Ave., Hershey, where representatives also come to pick up Cocoa Packs for students.

The community supports the efforts through its donations. "We are self-funded. We do not take federal or state money," said Drexler. "We pride ourselves on the excellence of what we do."

In addition to financial support, the program is always looking for volunteers to help pack the boxes and work on distribution days. "We love to have volunteers and volunteer groups," said Drexler, noting that volunteers can range in age from young children to seniors. "There is something for everyone to do. It is a collaboration of all ages and abilities."

Drexler emphasized that the goal of the organization is to promote the overall wellness of children. "We are for kids. We only assist children," she stated. "We are not a food bank. We are a food assistance program that also promotes physical and emotional wellness so that children are successful in the classroom.

"We consider them our kiddos. We want children (enrolled in the Cocoa Packs program) to have what our children have," she added. "When they look back, they will remember there are people who cared for them. That gives me great hope."

For more information about Cocoa Packs, to volunteer or to make a donation, visit http://www.facebook.com/cocoapacks or http://www.cocoapacks.org.

Parents who would like to enroll their children in the Cocoa Packs program may visit http://www.cocoapacks.org/get-support. The program serves children in the Derry Township School District and the surrounding areas. All children from birth through high school graduation are eligible for Cocoa Packs.