BackPack Program

There are children in America that rely on resources such as free or reduced-priced school lunch, during the school year.

The BackPack™ Program is designed to meet the needs of hungry children at times when other resources are not available, such as weekends and school vacations.

About the BackPack Program

Backpacks filled with food that children take home on weekends. Food is child-friendly, nonperishable, easily consumed and vitamin fortified. Backpacks are discreetly distributed to children on the last day before the weekend or holiday vacation.

Second Harvest North Florida launched its BackPack program in December 2008 with a pilot including 150 kids. The program grew to include more than 400 children in January 2009 and provided healthy snacks and meal items for children through the end of the school year. The children served are active in the Second Harvest Kids Cafe program, a network of after-school facilities that provide healthy snacks and growth and development opportunities for children from low-income families. More than 2,400 kids are served through Second Harvest's Kids Cafe program, and the goal in 2009-10 is provide availability to the BackPack Program to each of the Kids Cafe participants.

The Grainger Foundation donated $20,000 in July 2009 in support of the Second Harvest BackPack Program, and the Wachovia Foundation contributed $10,000. The cost for the program is $100 per child -- which provides a a weekend backpack for the entire school year (36 weeks).

The BackPack Concept

The BackPack Program concept was developed at the Arkansas Rice Depot in Little Rock after a school nurse asked for help because hungry students were coming to her with stomach aches and dizziness. The local food bank began to provide the school children with groceries in non-descript backpacks to carry home.

More About this Program

In addition to providing nutritious food to school children in need, some BackPack programs provide extra food for younger siblings at home and others operate during the summer months when children are out of school and have limited access to free or reduced-priced meals.

There are more than 110 America's Second Harvest network members operating BackPack Programs in 39 states and Washington, D.C.

Nationally, members distribute as many as 35,000 backpacks each week.

This program is the fastest growing National Program within our network. Within the last year, the program has experienced close to 100 percent growth.

For more information on the Backpack Program, call Jim Chynoweth at 904.353.FOOD(3663) or e-mail jchynoweth@wenourishhope.org.