“Love is a Verb” Valentine’s Day Activity

“Love is a Verb” Valentine’s Day Activity

This Valentine’s Day let’s feed hearts & bellies!

Love is a Verb

Make your child’s Valentine’s Day party more than candy and cards and join Blessings in a Backpack in the movement to end childhood hunger. Not only will you help a child in your community, but you’ll teach the children you love the importance of giving back!

Background:

In 2018, actress and philanthropist Jennifer Garner hosted a Valentine’s Day party for her kids’ classmates (kindergarten, 3rd grade, and 6th grade), and Blessings in a Backpack was the beneficiary! Jennifer, her kids, and their friends packed 391 bags of weekend food and decorated note cards to donate to a Blessings in a Backpack program in Los Angeles.

This party inspired Blessings in a Backpack to create “Love Is a Verb”  activities for classes across the country to put love into action — by getting involved and giving back!

Goals:

Your class will cultivate an understanding of childhood hunger, develop empathy, and take action. Working together, students will:

  • Raise money to provide food on the weekends for children in your community who are struggling with food insecurity.
  • Donate cards to a local Blessings in a Backpack program. We will include the cards in the food bags that children receive on Fridays.
DOWNLOAD AND PRINT A ONE-PAGE OVERVIEW

Menu of activity options:

Watch Maddi's Fridge

Option 1

Maddi’s Fridge, written by Lois Brandt, is a children’s picture book that raises awareness about poverty and hunger. Several Blessings in a Backpack supporters, including Jennifer Garner, have donated their time and talent to read Maddi’s Fridge.

Click here for access to all the videos.

Choose the video best suited for your class and project it on the big screen!

Make piggy banks

Option 2

Request refrigerator-shaped piggy banks for your class and we’ll ship them to you for FREE! Your students will:

  • Decorate their piggy bank using stickers and markers
  • Take their piggy bank home and fill it with money

Set a fundraising goal for your classroom — on average, $175 will feed a child on the weekends for one school year! Donate the money raised to a local Blessings program.

Please request piggy banks before February 6, 2024, for the best chance of delivery for Valentine’s Day, February 14.

Girl and piggy bank
Color Valentine's Day Cards

Option 3

Cut, color, and personalize adorable printable Valentine’s Day cards to donate to a local Blessings program. Or mail them to our Chicago office, and we’ll find backpacks for them.

Blessings in a Backpack
Attn: Anita Knazze
303 East Wacker Drive, Suite 2030
Chicago, IL 60601

Click here to download the cards. Formatted for 8.5 x 11″ paper.

Valentine's Day cards
Do all the activities!

Option 4

  • Watch videos of a Blessings in a Backpack supporters reading Maddi’s Fridge
  • Request FREE refrigerator-shaped piggy banks for your students. Have them decorate their banks using stickers and markers
  • Set a fundraising goal for your classroom. On average, $175 will feed a child on the weekends for one school year
  • Cut, color, and personalize adorable printable Valentine’s Day cards to donate to a local Blessings program

Inspiration:

By hosting a “Love is a Verb” Valentine’s Day party, students will learn to be compassionate, help others, and spread kindness.

You, as an educator, will raise awareness about poverty and childhood hunger. You will be making a positive impact not only in the lives of food-insecure children in your community but the children in your classroom.

We would love to see videos and photos of your party and your students’ work.

Donate to help us feed a child on the weekends.

Donate