We Provide Weekend Nourishment to School Children on the
Federal Free and Reduced Meal Program
Every Friday, kids in schools that participate in the Blessings in a Backpack program get a backpacks filled with easy-to-prepare and ready-to-eat food. On Monday, the kids return the backpacks, ready to learn. Then the cycle begins the next Friday.
The Program
The Blessings in a Backpack Program is simple. A passionate parent, teacher, nurse, counselor, community advocate or corporate supporter elects to start the Blessings in a Backpack program in a local school. Blessings in a Backpack works with you to gain support with your school and district leadership. Once a school is adopted, Blessings in a Backpack will help find a nearby grocer to provide food at a discounted rate, as well as provide the program framework for implementation. The next step is to fundraise to support the number of children your program will feed. You will also need to gather volunteers to manage the weekly logistics of getting the food from the grocer to the school or facility where the backpacks will be loaded with food for distribution. Blessings in a Backpack donates all program backpacks raised through national partnerships and funding. We also connect adopters across the country so they can share ideas and successes and so that you can learn how to run your new program.
Typical Backpack Food Items
The backpacks include ready-to-eat food items such as fruit roll ups, juice boxes, instant noodles, peanut butter, mac & cheese, cereal, pop tarts, etc. Blessings in a Backpack does its best to make sure the food is kid-friendly, meaning it’s lightweight, healthy, non-perishable and easy-to-prepare.
The Results: Nourished Kids Ready to Learn
Students who participate in the Blessings in a Backpack program show marked improvement in school attendance, test scores, behavior, and health. Food is an essential building block, and in this case truly is a blessing, especially to a hungry child!
Visit the Get Involved section of our site to find out the various ways in which you can help Blessings in a Backpack feed more children.