The Palm Beach Post reported recently that philanthropist and Palm Beach County resident Lois Pope gave $1 million to the Palm Beach County Food Bank, the largest gift in the food bank’s history.

The money will go to support and expand the food bank children’s program, Food4OurKids program, now renamed Lois’ Food4Kids.

“It’s very unusual,” Karen C. Erren, Food Bank executive director, said of the gift. “Mrs. Pope has really come to the forefront to ensure children in this community get access to the food they need.”

Every week, a backpack with seven meals for children, plus one meal for the family, is distributed through Boys and Girls Clubs throughout the county.

Palm Beach County represents the 10th largest school district in the country. More than 60 percent of school-age children are already eligible for free or reduced-price meals

Prior to the pandemic, the food bank already was providing meals to more than 3,000 children at 45 sites during the summer and on weekends. Overall, the food bank serves about 200,000 Palm Beach County residents.

But with the current crisis, the need is increasing at a time when supplies of donated foods from local groceries and businesses, as well as manufacturers, have been drying up, forcing the food bank to purchase food.

“We cannot get from the places we were getting our food, and we have triple the need,” said Marti LaTour, food bank chair. Pope’s gift, La Tour said, came just in time.