How It Works
Our Mission
Blessings in a Backpack mobilizes communities, individuals, and resources to provide food on the weekends for school-aged children across America who might otherwise go hungry.
Our Vision
Every school-aged child in America has the nourishment needed to learn and grow. As a leader in the movement to end childhood hunger, Blessings in a Backpack strives to ensure children do not go hungry on the weekends by empowering individuals and communities to take action.
Why Do We Do It
Did you know that 13 MILLION CHILDREN are experiencing food insecurity? That’s one in six American children who may be struggling with access to food.
The consequences of hunger are much more than a growling stomach. Poor nutrition can result in a weaker immune system, increased hospitalization, lower IQ, shorter attention spans, and lower academic achievement. Children are fed during the school week by federal government programs. We want to make sure they’re getting nutritional meals over the weekend, too.
Blessings in a Backpack is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. During the 2021–2022 school year, we distributed nearly 3.2 million bags of ready-to-eat food to children at 1,118 schools in 46 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.
Since 2009, Blessings in a Backpack has provided 26.7 million hunger-free weekends (aka bags of ready-to-eat food) for more than 927,000 children nationwide.
Our Structure
We are a national organization made up of seven regional chapters and more than 1,000 volunteer-driven programs. We share the goal of preventing childhood hunger on the weekends for the kids who need us most. Click here to find a chapter or program near you.
How Much Does it Cost?
$130 will feed one child on the weekends for one 38-week school year through the Blessings in a Backpack program—the results: nourished kids ready to learn. Food is an essential building block, and in this case, it is truly a blessing, especially to a hungry child!