The Backpack Buddies program provides weekend and holiday meal packs for food-insecure Hillsmere Elementary School students. “Food Insecurity” is the term used to describe the uncertainty of not knowing where the next meal will come from, or if it will come at all.

For many of these children, their lunchtime meal at school is their only meal each day. Over weekends or holiday breaks, these children often go with little to no food. The Backpack Buddies program strives to help these children.

On Fridays, each child in the Backpack Buddies program is given a backpack filled with nourishment for the weekend. Items usually distributed in the backpacks are ready-to-eat meals, microwave soups, snack bars, fruit cups, shelf-stable milk, fresh produce, and canned vegetables. There is enough food in each pack to feed the child for two days (six meals, plus snacks).

The Backpack Buddies program runs year-round. Children and families who benefit from the Backpack Buddies program are able to spend more quality time at the table and less time worrying about where to find their next healthy meal.

But we can’t do it alone! It costs approximately $8 to fill each backpack. We need your help to make sure all of our Hillsmere students have the food they need when the weekend comes. Please consider sponsoring a Backpack Buddies child using the donation form below.