In March 2020, the world, as we knew it, changed. Festivities were canceled, sports seasons were cut short, and schools were closed indefinitely. 11 million food-insecure children, who rely on the meals they eat at school during the week, now faced the uncertainty of when they would eat again.

Blessings in a Backpack, which works provide hunger-free weekends for kids across America who might otherwise go hungry, answered that call. But not without the help of partners and individuals who wanted to give back.

On March 17, Together Rising made a commitment to help Blessings in a Backpack continue to feed kids during COVID-19 school closures. With a generous gift of $250,000, Together Rising will make more than 62,500 bags of food a reality for thousands of vulnerable children nationwide.

“We are thankful for Together Rising’s donation to help feed kids in our programs when schools are closed,” said Brooke Wiseman, CEO of Blessings in a Backpack. “Because of this support, volunteers are providing bags of food to even more children, and distribution is taking place on more than just Fridays.”

“Together Rising exists to turn our collective heartbreak into effective action,” said Together Rising. “During these heartbreaking times, we are honored that our donors’ generous gifts are ensuring that children and families will continue to have meals during the nationwide school closings. We are grateful to work with Blessings in a Backpack in this vital work.”

Learn more about Together Rising at togetherrising.org.

 

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Close to 22 million children nationwide rely on the public school system in order to eat. On an average day, 20 million free school lunches are distributed to children – sometimes their only reliable daily meal. . Right now, roughly 38.8 million public school students are out of school. This means — on top of the anxiety, isolation, and economic instability of this crisis – millions and millions of children and their families don’t have adequate food. . Although the USDA and state and local authorities are working to implement emergency food-distribution systems, initial capacity is limited, and nationwide help is desperately needed– especially in rural areas, and especially as closures become prolonged. . Today, through Together Rising, you invested $250,000 to step into this gap and make sure these kids and their families do not go hungry – especially over the weekends between food distributions. . Through Blessings in Backpacks’ 1100 programs across 45 states and the District of Columbia, you are stepping in to fund backpacks full of meals to tens of thousands of these most vulnerable families nationwide. . During these times, fear of the unknown and our anxiety at our lack of control can be overwhelming. Nevertheless, we know that We Can Do Hard Things, and that We Belong to Each Other. During a time in which we all feel incredibly vulnerable, you have once again refused to let the fact that you can’t fix everything keep you from helping to fix something you can. . On behalf of the most vulnerable among us, thank you for stepping up through Together Rising to make sure these families do not go hungry. Love, Solidarity, & Hope, G & Together Rising

A post shared by Together Rising (@together.rising) on Mar 17, 2020 at 5:00pm PDT