Believe it or not, there are some students who are not counting the minutes until the Friday afternoon bell.

These students, among the 8,000 at Clarke County Schools receiving free and reduced lunch from the schools, face weekends without meals or with no one to prepare a meal for them.

Yet thanks to Food 2 Kids, a program from the Junior League of Athens partnered with the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia, fewer and fewer kids have to worry about going hungry on the weekends. Instead, they can focus on channeling their time and energy into school.

Children identified by teachers and counselors as “in need” receive a bag filled with six meals and additional snacks once a week, including double portions for spring break. Students receive a total of 280 meals over the course of 40 weeks.

Susan Dodson, former president of the Junior League and chairperson of the Food 2 Kids program, brought the idea to the attention of her organization in 2008. Members jumped on the idea, and since then, the number of children receiving meals has gone from 80 to 250.

The program hit even closer to home for Dodson when she became involved in the classrooms of her two daughters at Timothy Road Elementary School, dealing first-hand with children in need.

“The idea that any one of these kids that I had grown to love and adore … weren’t eating just really did it for me,” Dodson said.

The items included in the bags vary from Pop-Tarts and ravioli to fresh fruit and peanut butter.

Peanut butter plays a special role during the month of September, which the Food Bank has declared “Hunger Action Month.” The peanut butter helps these students eat even when they cannot be supervised.

Outside organizations, such as the Athletic Training Club at the Univ., also contribute to Food Bank programs through canned food drives. The Athletic Training Club has collection bins at the Tate Student Center, Aderhold Hall and dorms, including Creswell and Myers.

The drive, which runs until Sept. 28, will add some inter-University competition to community service in the club’s attempt to raise 6,000 cans of food.

“LSU is doing the exact same thing down in Baton Rouge, [La.], right now,” said Elise King, a senior and president of the Athletic Training Club. “Our goal is to beat them, and have it announced at the football game [at Sanford Stadium on Oct. 3].”

Without these kinds of donations, Food 2 Kids would be impossible. The Food Bank relies on donations for all projects except for Food 2 Kids. Thanks to American Idol’s “Idol Gives Back” fundraiser, the Food Bank received $14,000, with much of it going toward packing lunches throughout the year.

Tina Laseter, development director of the Food Bank, said the program gives children “a sense of normalcy and a sense of belonging.

“When you’re in fourth, fifth grade, that can be really tough,” she said.

The Food Bank has Food 2 Kids donation bins at the Grady College, Aderhold Hall and Terrell Hall. This month the bins will collect peanut butter, but in October the group is asking for ravioli in pop-top cans.