We Provide Weekend Nourishment to School Children on the Federal Free and Reduced Meal Program
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 partner with,
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. 100% of all monies raised for a new or existing school program
go directly to food purchased for the backpacks.
Typical Backpack Food Items
The backpacks include ready-to-eat food items such as granola bars,
peanut butter, tuna, crackers, mac & cheese, cereal, juice boxes,
etc. Blessings in a Backpack reviews its standard menu with a
nutritionist annually to make sure the food is kid-friendly, nutritious,
non-perishable and easy-to-prepare. Please be aware, most of these kids
live in a world where some food is better than no food.
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.
