Blessings in a Backpack
Template:New unreviewed article
Blessings in a Backpack is a non-profit organization designed to feed elementary school children whose families qualify for the federal free and reduced meal program, and have little or not food on the weekends. Better test scores, improved reading skills, positive behavior, improved health and increased attendance have all been attributed to the success of this program.
$80 feeds a child in the program for an entire school year. Following a donation, a school is chosen and a local grocer partners with the program to provide food for meals in the backpacks. Every Friday, students receive their backpacks with staples that require little to no preparation. They return with their backpacks on Monday ready to learn.
Blessings in a Backpack is currently feeding over 27,000 children in 27 states. The program is a hybrid of private sector funding and public partnership carried out in public schools.