Start a Program

Follow our Four Step Process to start a new Blessings in a Backpack program in your community. With assistance and support from Blessings staff, you will receive tools and resources to implement and maintain a thriving program and feed the kids in your community on the weekends.

STEP ONE:
Find a School

The first step is to identify a school in your area. If you don’t have a particular school in mind, visit localschooldirectory.com, and select your state, then city. This results in a complete listing of schools in the selected area.

STEP TWO:
School Procedures

After selecting a target school, make an appointment to meet with the school principal or counselor to introduce the Blessings in a Backpack program. Explain our mission: Blessings in a Backpack mobilizes communities, individuals and resources to provide food on the weekends for elementary school children across America who might otherwise go hungry.

STEP THREE:
Engage Your Community

Blessings in a Backpack’s unique structure allows the program to be tailored to each community’s resources and needs. This flexibility and community-level focus have fostered rapid growth throughout the country, resulting in more children receiving weekend nutrition. Local volunteer teams focus on raising the support necessary to cover their program site’s food and program expenses.

STEP FOUR:
Find a Food Vendor

After you have raised the designated funds, you will need to secure a food vendor. Many of our programs use a food delivery source such as US Foods or the food provider used by the school.

Click here to download a detailed PDF on the Four Step Process and how to Start a Program.